Electricity

After California's energy debacle in 2000-2001, the Commission was prompted to make changes in Arizona's electric power restructuring plan. The Commission took a common-sensed approach, shielding Arizonans from the skyrocketing electric prices and rolling blackouts that California experienced.

The move toward retail competition for consumers has halted, but the Commission has directed APS and TEP to buy small amounts of power on the open wholesale market. As a result, consumers have reaped meaningful cost savings.

Over the past decade, customers of APS and TEP have enjoyed numerous rates reductions. These rate decreases have neither compromised service quality nor reliability.

By strengthening our electric utilities, our quality of life in Arizona improves. More electric power plants and transmission lines have been built to meet our ever-increasing power needs. These new projects have had to comply with the most stringent air emissions standards and water use restrictions in the nation. Along the way, Arizona consumers have continued to enjoy reliable and safe electric service at affordable prices.

Hatch-Miller is committed to keeping and expanding the Commission's Environmental Portfolio Standard (EPS), so that consumers can continue to have the option of buying "green power." The EPS requires electric utilities to produce or procure 1.1% of their power needs from renewable sources, including solar, wind, biomass and landfill gas.

As a result, APS and TEP have built several solar energy production facilities. APS has invested in a biomass plant, which uses small trees and pine needles as fuel. TEP has tapped the methane gas created in landfills for energy production. APS plans to build a "wind farm" in northeast Arizona, near St. Johns.

Hatch-Miller further believes the Commission should increase its emphasis on Demand Side Management (DSM), energy efficiency and weatherization programs. "Demand Side Management is just a fancy term for saying use less energy -- if we don't use the energy in the first place, we don't need to produce it!" He supports changing energy use habits of consumers, installing energy efficient appliances, air conditioning units and lighting, and the old fashioned methods of caulking and weather stripping windows and doors. Taken together, these programs can reduce consumption of electricity and the need for more electric generation.