Governor Napolitano said she supports a proposal pending before the Arizona Corporation Commission to ramp up Arizona’s requirement for use of renewable energy resources to generate electricity and that she’ll consider that issue when she appoints a new commissioner.
The appointment could come soon.
Commissioner Marc Spitzer will take the oath of office July 24 as a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission member appointed by President Bush and submit his resignation to the Corporation Commission, a state agency that regulates utilities.
Ms. Napolitano said she will “move rapidly” on appointing a replacement to serve the remaining five months of Mr. Spitzer’s term because the commission needs a full complement of members to consider pending matters.
By law, a gubernatorial appointee to serve the remainder of his term must be of the same party as the elected official being replaced. Mr. Spitzer, a former state senator elected to the commission in 2000, is a Republican. Ms. Napolitano is a Democrat.
Mr. Spitzer’s current term expires at year’s end, and the Republican Party has already chosen state Rep. Gary Pierce, R-19, to run for the seat. The election winner will take office in January.
Major issues currently facing the Corporation Commission include the proposed increase in the state’s so-called “environmental portfolio standard” as well as water availability in northwestern Mohave County, a route for a planned power transmission line to California and an electricity rate increase sought by Arizona Public Service Co.
A final vote on the renewable energy mandate could come in September, and Ms. Napolitano’s appointee could provide the swing vote on the five-member commission because Mr. Spitzer was in the majority in previous votes that moved the proposal forward.
Arizona now requires that 1.1 percent of electricity used by regulated utilities come from solar or other renewable sources, but the proposal pending before the commission would increase that to 15 percent by 2025.
Supporters of the tougher environmental standard contend it is in the state’s long-term interest to diversify its energy sources and protect the environment. Critics argue that the proposed mandate has too many unknowns regarding reliability and costs.
Ms. Napolitano made it clear where she stands.
“I think the commission ought to pass those rules. I think renewable energy being part of the portfolio is an important part of the energy future for Arizona,” she told reporters during her weekly media availability July 19.
She said she would discuss the issue with potential appointees. “I want to make sure whomever I appoint is well versed on the issues that are embodied there.”
However, she said she would not make that issue a litmus test for her choice.
Commissioner Kris Mayes, herself a Napolitano appointee to the commission, said the interim commissioner will face a steep learning curve but would be helped by fellow commissioners and the panel’s staff.
“I hope it’s someone who is interested in energy issues because right off the bat they’re going to face some of the most important energy issues that Arizona is dealing with,” Ms. Mayes said.
A supporter of the proposed environmental mandate, Ms. Mayes called the commission’s decision “one of the most important votes in the history of the commission.”
Ms. Napolitano acknowledged that the five-month duration of the appointment made the situation somewhat unusual but said the circumstances wouldn’t be a major hindrance.
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