Burns thinks the Corp Comm needs to attempt to subpoena Arizona Public Service now rather than wait to force spending disclosure until the 2016 election.

The Arizona Court of Appeals today rejected a mechanism adopted by the Arizona Corporation Commission to allow a water company to recover capital costs – and thereby hike rates – in between rate cases.

In asking for a whopping 320 percent increase in solar fees, Arizona Public Service argues that it needs to recover costs that solar users shift to other customers by not paying their fair share of maintaining the electric grid.

I have been involved with utilities and regulatory work for almost 40 years. During that time I have seldom seen an administrative law judge understand and articulate the issues at hand with the clarity and knowledge Judge Teena Jibilian did recently.

With $21, you can buy at least two LED 60-watt light bulbs and reduce your electricity bill over time. Or visit the Phoenix Zoo for $20. Or read Jim Collins’ “Good to Great,” which sells at $17.85 on Barnes & Noble. Or take your spouse to the movies. If the Arizona Public Service had its way, however, that money would go toward paying a monthly fee – that is, if you happen to have solar panels on your rooftop.

The state’s regulated electric utilities are on track to meet the goal of 6 percent renewable energy use by the end of 2016, largely through utility-scale and rooftop solar projects.

A bill that critics said would threaten the future of Arizona's fledgling solar-energy industry has died after its sponsor announced Feb. 25 that she was withdrawing it.

For Arizona politicians, the easy part of plunging back into the nuclear-energy business is well under way - the talking part. Now come the details, which include such hurdles as finding enough water, winning federal permits and - what else? - coming up with the billions of dollars needed to pay for construction.

Opening Arizona to competition by companies providing electricity could lower rates and give providers more incentive to act wisely when considering investments on infrastructure, experts told a group of state lawmakers Nov. 12.

As the energy debate heats up in the nation's capital, policymakers in Arizona have begun asking questions about the implications of cap-and-trade legislation and other climate initiatives for the state. For the second time in a month, legislators held a hearing on energy policy, specifically on what the state's energy future would look like. At least two more hearings are scheduled.