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Coal Communities’ Transition in Arizona Getting More Attention

by Michael W. Patten The local economies of many communities in the southwest are tied to the operations of large coal-fired power plants.  As those plants start closing, the communities can face significant disruption in their local economies through loss of jobs, tax revenues and other impacts.  How to address those impacts involves both federal […]

Arizona Corporation Commission Presses Forward with New Energy Policies and Potential Updates to Energy Rules

by Michael W. Patten Over the past two years, the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) has been considering how to address the rapidly changing electric energy landscape.  Through a variety of proceedings, the ACC is reviewing existing energy-related rules, considering (and adopting) policy statements regarding emerging issues and conducting workshops on a variety of energy-related topics. […]

Arizona Corporation Commission Adopts Milestone Code of Ethics, Including a Lobbyist Registration Requirement

by Michael W. Patten After a year of development, including workshops and public input, the Arizona Corporation Commission has adopted its first Code of Ethics. The Commission believes that its new Code is the most comprehensive in the country for utility regulatory bodies. As a constitutionally-created branch of Arizona government, the ACC acts in both […]

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Arizona Corporation Commission Making Progress on New Utility Policies Affecting Water Loss, CIAC and CC&Ns

by Michael W. Patten The Arizona Corporation Commission is addressing new policies that could affect a variety of regulated utilities in Arizona in the near future. The policies are intended to provide guidance on issues that are often points of contention in proceedings at the Commission. The Commission has opened three separate dockets and has […]

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Arizona Corporation Commission Takes a Step Closer to Determining the Value of Distributed Generation for Arizona

by Michael W. Patten On October 7, 2016, the Arizona Corporation Commission’s Hearing Division issued a Recommended Opinion and Order (“ROO”) in the Commission’s Investigation of the Value and Cost of Distributed Generation docket (Docket No. E-00000J-14-0023). The ROO follows an extended evidentiary hearing and post-hearing briefing that took place earlier this year. The ROO proposes […]

Does Arizona Really “Need” Merchant Transmission Lines?

by Michael Patten and Jason Gellman The Arizona Corporation Commission recently reviewed a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility (CEC) issued by the Arizona Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee for the SunZia transmission line project (SunZia).  ACC Docket No. L-00000YY-15031800171.  SunZia includes the construction of two new 500 kilovolt interstate transmission lines (and related facilities) […]