Arizona Erupts As APS Betrays Its 100% Clean Energy Promise For Gas Profits

Arizona’s largest utility company has yanked the rug out from under its own climate promises. Arizona Public Service (APS) has officially dumped its commitment to 100% zero-carbon electricity by 2050, opting instead for a watered-down “carbon-neutral” approach. Translation? They’ll keep burning fossil fuels and just “offset” the pollution somewhere else. How convenient.

The utility has also scrapped its interim target of 65% clean energy by 2030. Gone. Poof. Like it never existed. APS claims this backpedaling is all about “reliability and affordability” for Arizona’s growing population. Meanwhile, the state continues to bake under record heat, struggle with drought, and battle wildfires. Timing is everything, isn’t it?

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes didn’t mince words, calling the move “reckless” and a “betrayal of Arizonans.” State Democrats are furious. The utility secured legislative support for securitization – supposedly to help shift to clean energy – and then promptly changed course. Talk about a bait and switch.

A cynical corporate switcheroo that betrays Arizonans while politicians who backed the company watch in disbelief.

Governor Katie Hobbs and other officials warn this reversal means dirtier air, higher bills, and economic setbacks. These concerns are amplified by recent federal clean energy funding cuts, including a $7 billion Solar for All clawback. Ouch.

While APS insists this decision will keep rates stable, critics argue the opposite. The company has already proposed a 14% rate increase for residential customers on top of two previous 8% hikes. Building more gas infrastructure might make fossil fuel companies happy, but ratepayers could end up footing a much larger bill long-term.

The rollback coincides with regulators dismantling Arizona’s Renewable Energy Standard. Environmental experts predict worse air and water pollution statewide as coal and gas plants keep chugging along. With Earth needing thousands of years to recover from climate change impacts, APS’s reversal could have consequences far beyond our lifetimes.

APS plans to tap into a 600-mile natural gas pipeline from Texas to Phoenix – doubling down on fossil fuels while the Southwest faces intensifying climate impacts. Jill Freret from APS emphasized that maintaining a balanced energy mix is essential for ensuring reliable service during periods of extreme heat.

For a state that’s literally on the front lines of climate change, Arizona’s biggest utility just decided to retreat. Some reliability strategy.