APS-Backed Lawsuit Challenges 75% Of The Signatures For Arizona RPS Initiative

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

Wow….The fight over the Arizona renewable portfolio standard (RPS) just got ugly. Arizonans for Affordable Energy, a political action committee backed by Arizona Public Service (APS) – the state’s largest utility – has alleged in a lawsuit that 75% of the signatures gathered to put a ballot initiative to raise the Arizona RPS are fraudulent.

The action comes as a competing proposal to raise the Arizona RPS, put forth by the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) (which oversees APS), moves its way through the process.

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To review: The Arizona RPS ballot initiative is backed by progressive billionaire Tom Steyer, who is putting forth this effort in Nevada and was putting it together in Michigan before his group negotiated an agreement with the state’s utilities. It is pushing for a 50% RPS by 2030.

The ACC Arizona RPS proposal, which has the backing of the utility, would make the RPS 80% by 2050. The only difference between the two proposals is that the ACC proposal considers nuclear power as a clean energy source (it’s not), while the Steyer-backed proposal excludes nukes. Guess who owns a pair of nuclear generation facilities (you get three guesses, and the first two don’t count)?

Rachel Leingang of The Arizona Republic and Adrian Marsh at the Phoenix Business Journal both report that the lawsuit, filed last Thursday, alleges widespread fraud in the 480,464, including double-signings, illegal signature gatherers and people who are not registered to vote (being registered to vote is a requirement to sign the petition validly). As Leingang notes, fewer than 106,441 signatures are valid if what the APS-backed group says is true, which would leave them well short of the required number of signatures to get on the ballot.

Matthew Benson, a spokesman for the APS-backed group, offered the totally breathless, over-the-top statement to Marsh:

“Our painstaking review of every petition submitted by the initiative campaign has uncovered widespread forgery and deception and an utter disregard for Arizona law and elections procedures. This is truly fraud on a grand scale.”

I’d urge Benson to perhaps seek treatment for hysterics, because it sure seems like he’s suffering from a severe case. For measures like Steyer’s, it’s not unusual to see challenges made to the amount of signatures collected. What is unusual is that so high a number (75%? Really?) are challenged and for so many different reasons. My guess is the lawsuit is more harassment than anything else, and I’d be shocked if enough signatures are invalidated (some will be – that’s inevitable) to pull the initiative off the ballot in November. Steyer is no amateur.

More:

Arizonans for Affordable Electricity sues to block renewable energy initiative vote

APS-backed group sues over clean energy ballot measure, claims 300K invalid signatures

Coal, Nuke Bailout Could Reach $34 Billion, New Study Says

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

So apparently the bailout of nuclear and coal plants is still a thing that is under consideration, so I have to keep writing about it. This time, there’s a new study out that says the new bailout is going to cost $34 billion – that’s B-illion, with a “b” – to implement. When there are more competitive solutions like solar and wind on the open market.

Are we tired of all the winning yet?

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The Houston Chronicle reported today on the study, which was prepared for pro-solar advocacy group Advanced Energy Economy by the The Brattle Group, which the newspaper points out is opposed to the bailout plan (as are most Americans, based on all the support solar and wind get in all of the polls, Katie). I’ve included the entire report below, and it is certainly worth reading in its entirety. But I’ll post a couple of highlights from the executive summary to whet your appetite:

“Current and likely future wholesale market conditions will continue to add pressure on some coal and nuclear plants to retire even if a financial support mechanism is put in place.”
Damn that INVISIBLE HAND! It seems that no matter how much Donald Trump and Rick Perry want to prop up these failing plants, Adam Smith’s Hand will come along to keep them failing.

“We conservatively estimate that cost-of-service recovery (including embedded capital) could at least double the policy cost to between $20 and $35 billion per year.”
Well, now isn’t THAT a lovely thought? So we’re going to throw good money after bad and STILL not be able to save the coal jobs Trump promised.

And as for the nuclear side of things…I have two nuclear plants built in the 1970s and 1980s that are STILL being paid off by me and my fellow ratepayers. Exactly how long are we planning these bailouts to last? And aren’t these the same government officials who keep telling us we have to reduce spending so we don’t leave an enormous debt burden to our children? Where is that restraint now?

This bailout is the same boondoggle it has always been, a giveaway to the monopoly utilities (another instance of cognitive dissonance that nearly makes my head explode, but that’s a discussion for another day) and their wealthy investors, while your average taxpayer and ratepayer get screwed. Tell me again the one about how you love the free market and how the government shouldn’t be picking winners and losers?

To hell with the lotta ya.

More:

Well, There Goes That Bulwark: Powelson’s Retirement Puts Coal, Nuke Bailout Back On The Front Burner

FERC Commissioners Tell Senate: Coal, Nuke Bailout Unnecessary

Despite True Believers, EXPERTS Say Trump Nuke Bailout Could Cost $17 Billion Per Year In Overly High Electric Bills

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Washington D.C. Could Move To 100% Clean Energy By 2032

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

Washington D.C. is a city full of symbols. Monuments to leaders of the past abound, and as the seat of our national government it carries great symbolic power for the rest of the country.

Which is why the fact that it’s considering a resolution to move to a 100% renewable energy future as soon as 2032 could provide tangible gravity to the cause and encourage other cities to follow its lead, according to various local and national reports.

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Tony Clifford, chief development officer for Standard Solar, a D.C.-area national solar company, is thrilled that Washington D.C. is continuing its commitment to clean energy. After all, the company has installed more solar in the District than anyone else and helped the city earn the world’s first LEED Platinum certification for a municipality.

“For us, it’s more than just another city going to 100% clean energy – it’s personal for us,” Clifford said. “Standard Solar has a number of employees who reside in the District of Columbia, and we have always taken great pride in helping the city be a clean-energy leader.

“As longtime participants in the DC solar market, I can only applaud the DC City Council and Mayor Bowser for their continued renewable energy leadership,” he added “Setting and attaining a goal of 100% renewables by 2032 will keep DC in the forefront of clean energy cities around the world.”

That D.C. would join an ever-growing list of cities to pledge a move to 100% clean energy is an enormous symbolic victory for the cause, given its special place in the hearts of many Americans. But as Utility Dive correctly points out, the decision is becoming more common, even at a statewide level. As they wrote:

Among aggressive carbon reduction goals, a 100% RPS may soon become common. While Hawaii was first to declare a 100% renewables goal, several states have considered it, including California, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Washington and Pennsylvania.

The importance of having a nation’s capital be 100% clean energy can’t be underestimated, so we join Clifford in his congratulations to the council and Mayor for their leadership on this issue. Now it’s time to get the resolution passed and move forward with putting in into practice.

CleanChoice Wants To Accelerate Trend Of Businesses Seeking 100% Clean Energy

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

As more businesses decide to pursue 100% clean energy goals, they often need people to help them get there. CleanChoice Energy has launched a new service in several states designed to do just that.

The announcement comes on the heels of solar’s own national association, the Solar Energy Industries Association, signing an agreement with WGL Energy Services to offset its employees’ travel with 373 solar renewable energy credits (SRECs) from two solar projects in Virginia and Maryland, respectively. The move is an effort for the association to practice what it preaches to become carbon neutral.

It didn’t get the positive press it deserved for its decision, and it deserved it. SEIA’s move showed that businesses of all sizes and types can move to 100% clean energy given the proper driving spirit – and it shows the way for other associations in the space to do the same. Leadership like this is what will accelerate business decisions to go solar.

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The CleanChoice Energy program is designed to accelerate the clear trend the solar industry is seeing as businesses transition from a fossil-fuel to a clean-energy future. Each year, big corporations like Wal-Mart, Target and others vie for the honor of being the company to have the largest installed solar capacity in the country as highlighted in SEIA’s Solar Means Business Report.

While those large companies have their own teams dedicated to making the transition, smaller companies need guidance, which is the niche CleanChoice Energy is trying to fill.

The new CleanChoice program will initially be available to partners serving Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Washington D.C., who want to bring their businesses and nonprofits into the 100% clean energy revolution.

“Commercial businesses and large nonprofits are eager to choose 100% renewable energy, and we’re excited to be able to work with brokers to help them make the switch,” said Tom Matzzie, Founder and CEO of CleanChoice Energy. “With CleanChoice Energy’s 100% renewable energy products, businesses and large nonprofits can purchase 100% solar and wind from the region in which they operate.”

According to their release, CleanChoice Energy’s Broker Program offers a dedicated team to provide personalized service to our partners which includes both custom and matrix pricing options, as well as exceptional account management services. The company maintains a Net Promoter Score that far exceeds industry standards. The new program will also provide brokers and consultants access to innovative energy products such as CleanChoice Energy Community Solar.

Additional CleanChoice Energy Broker Program benefits include:
● Quarterly review of account portfolios;
● Post service account management including environmental impact statements;
● Customer promotional materials to share their renewable power purchase;
● Flexible commission plans with timely and accurate reporting.