Victoria Steele, center, a former legislator, and former Arizona Corporation Commissioner Kris Mayes, right, hold their signs while opponents to increased rooftop solar energy rates gather outside of the Arizona Corporation Commission, 400 W. Congress St., on June 26, 2017, in downtown Tucson, Ariz. The commission held a public-comment hearing to address the proposed new rates for rooftop solar customers./Mike Christy / Arizona Daily Star
Disclosure: Rose Law Group represents parties to TEP’s rate case
By David Wichner | Arizona Daily Star
A proposal to reduce reimbursements for future Tucson Electric Power Co. solar customers drew a standing-room only crowd at an Arizona Corporation Commission public comment hearing Monday.
And while most of the TEP customers who spoke derided TEP’s proposal as anti-solar, TEP got support from at least one customer and several business groups who said solar rate reform is needed to eliminate a cost shift to customers without solar.
TEP’s plan would cut reimbursements to customers for excess energy their rooftop solar arrays provide and add new demand charges and meter fees, reflecting a Corporation Commission decision to discontinue net metering or reimbursement at the full retail rate.
Several opponents of TEP’s plan cited the need to support rooftop solar to get away from fossil fuels that contribute to global warming.
Clarifications: Rose Law Group Report [RLGR] research shows it appears Mark St. Onge, quoted in the article as the lone alleged citizen supporter of TEP, did not disclose he is married to Laree St. Onge, who is supervisor of public affairs for Trico Electric, another Tucson area utility that also has been working for years to take away any economic benefit its customers can receive from solar.
Further, RLGR has learned that reported TEP supporter, the Consumer Energy Alliance [CEA], has a spotty history. Not only is CEA funded by utility interests as mentioned in the article, several media outlets have reported on allegations CEA has faked grassroots campaigns and misused people’s names, alleging they support utility initiatives when those people said otherwise when asked. In one case, CEA is alleged to have listed a Ohio man who had been deceased for more than a decade as a supporter of a gas pipeline project along with numerous other Ohioans who reportedly executed affidavits accusing CEA of misrepresenting their position. It is unclear why TEP is associating itself with CEA at this time.”
Related:Lobbyist-Tied Group Accused Of Faking Support For Potentially Higher Energy Bills
Did Houston energy group dupe MGE customers to back rate changes?
Nexus pipeline opponents urge U.S. postal service to investigate lobbying group (photos)
