The Arizona Corporation Commission’s vote last night to block a proposal to finalize the state's clean energy rules is “extremely disappointing for Arizona’s businesses and all the communities across the state that stand to benefit from the transition to a clean energy economy,” said Alli Gold Roberts, director of state policy at Ceres.
The Commission first voted last night to adopt several amendments to significantly weaken the rules before ultimately rejecting the proposal in a 3-2 vote. The Commission initiated the formal rulemaking process to establish clean energy rules, including both a carbon-free standard and a stronger energy efficiency standard, following a Republican-led, bipartisan vote in November 2020.
“Strong clean energy standards are an important driver of economic growth, and are vital to Arizona’s ability to attract long-term investments, innovative companies, and thousands of new jobs,” added Roberts. “Businesses in Arizona have made bold commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transition to renewable energy—and they know that to meet these goals they need smart, supportive policies. Without stronger clean energy standards, Arizona risks falling behind as other states take steps to encourage local clean energy investments.”
More than two dozen businesses and associations—including Ball Corporation, Google, Johns Manville, Microsoft, Salesforce, and the Arizona Technology Council, among others—have called on the Commission to adopt stronger clean energy standards as a way to build a robust, resilient economy.
A recent Ceres report found that from 2008 to 2018, Arizona’s renewable energy policies delivered significant benefits to Arizona utilities, companies and residents—including $2 billion in benefits to Arizona ratepayers and jobs for nearly 14,000 Arizonans who worked in the renewable energy field in 2019. Energy efficiency efforts have also created billions in net economic benefits, saving Arizonan families and businesses money on their energy bills.
“Ceres will continue to work with businesses in our networks and beyond to make the economic case for clean energy in Arizona. We urge Arizona policymakers to heed the call of the businesses community by enacting policies to help grow the state’s clean energy industry,” Roberts added.
Ceres is a nonprofit organization working with the most influential capital market leaders to solve the world’s greatest sustainability challenges. Through our powerful networks and global collaborations of investors, companies and nonprofits, we drive action and inspire equitable market-based and policy solutions throughout the economy to build a just and sustainable future. For more information, visit ceres.org and follow @CeresNews.