Dive Brief:
- Arizona Corporation Commission's Andy Tobin has indicated he may support an outside consultant probing into whether or not ratemaking decisions were improperly influenced by utilities after voting against such an inquiry earlier this month, the Daily Courier reports.
- Earlier this month, Arizona utility regulators voted 3-1 to block an inquiry sought by Commissioner Robert Burns to examine whether outside parties had an impact on the utility ratemaking process.
- Solar companies have alleged utilities helped fund independent groups supporting the 2014 election of Commissioners Tom Forese and Doug Little.
Dive Insight:
The Daily Courier reports Commissioner Tobin has indicated he may favor an outside consultant looking into 2014 election issues, even though he voted against opening an investigation less than a week before.
Tobin's position is based on cost: opening an internal investigation would be expensive, while he already wants to hire an outside consultant to examine whether some of the ACC's oversight—railways and gas pipelines, for instance—should be shifted to other agencies.
The most recent calls for an inquiry into the 2014 election come related to a rate case for utility UES Electric. The commission approved raising the basic service charge for all customers and adding a monthly $1.58 fee on net metering customers to cover costs of additional meters, while delaying its request for mandatory demand charges and changes to the net metering rates until a separate value of solar docket concludes. Following that decision, Burns sought an investigation into whether outside parties, including regulated utilities, were able to exert pressure on the regulatory process.
Questions regarding campaign finance during the 2014 election have persisted, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation interviewed former Arizona regulator Gary Pierce and utility officials in July.
Arizona Public Service Co. has been accused of contributing funds to an independent group supporting the 2014 campaigns of current Commissioners Forese and Little. The utility has neither confirmed or denied the allegation.
Burns is up for re-election this year, and has the support of SolarCity. Burns has previously voiced frustration with Pinnacle West, the parent company of APS, for not disclosing political contributions.