A walking tour of the Maricopa Solar generating facility, billed as the "world's first commercial-scale SunCatcher plant," is like taking a step into the future. It's not as striking as the movie "Avatar," which is set at a time when Earth's resources have been depleted, but it provides a glimpse of what is being done to deal with the depletion of nonrenewable energy sources.

In defining its legal status, Salt River Project stays firmly in limbo: When sued by customers, the utility takes shelter in its designation as a political subdivision of the state; when challenged to produce public records, it argues that it doesn't fit the definition of a public body.

Salt River Project has filed documents in Maricopa County Superior Court arguing that it is exempt from the state's public record laws because it is not technically a public body. SRP is one of the largest utility companies in the state and is considered a quasi-governmental agency because it operates as both a private, for-profit company and a political subdivision of the state.

Salt River Project and a pair of Arizona municipalities will face off in court over a public records dispute in February. A Maricopa County judge on Dec. 2 set a hearing date of Feb. 17. The two sides will debate whether the quasi-governmental utility company is subject to the state's public records law. Prescott and Prescott Valley have filed two public records requests with SRP, and the utility has refused to turn over the documents.

The nation's third-largest public power utility and one of the state's largest water suppliers avoided a ruling earlier this year that would have determined whether it was subject to Arizona public records law. But now the Salt River Project is again bracing against claims that its quasi-governmental status requires it to maintain and provide access to documents.

Two municipalities are challenging the authority of one of the state's largest utilities and are now asking a Maricopa County court to order Salt River Project (SRP) to turn over records under the state's public records law.

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.

A Maricopa County judge has rejected an argument by one of the state's largest utilities that could have fundamentally changed water law in the state, saying the law's intentions are clear even though the law itself might be imperfect.

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.

HEBER - It was appropriately windy Oct. 12 for the dedication of the first commercial-scale wind farm in Arizona. And speakers ranging from U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, to executives from Salt River Project said the message the facility sends is as important as the power it will generate.