Thank you for your service to the people of Arizona through your work on the Commission.
We write today on behalf of the 850 members of the Arizona Public Health Association, urging you to vote yes tomorrow on the Energy Rule package without amendments, particularly the 100% emissions-free electricity by 2050 standard.
We encourage you to adopt the draft Rule as the final Rule. We believe that the Rule, as proposed, is comprehensive and incorporates the essential core elements of good public health policy as it will reduce carbon emissions, address our climate crisis, help clean up our air, conserve our water, and improve the health of our communities.
The Commission’s Energy Rules went through a rigorous public input process as evidenced by several elements in the Rule. We are pleased that the Commission’s Energy Rules, which call for 100% carbon-free electricity, are not specific about which technologies need to be used to achieve the goals.
We believe this will lead to more efficient economic decisions over time which will keep rates down. Affordable utility rates are important so that working families have adequate resources to provide a healthy environment for their families.
Energy efficiency and renewable energy help control utility costs, create jobs, and build a cleaner energy future. Jobs created by energy efficiency and renewable energy are likely to pay a living wage and are in fields like installation and will be filled with Arizona residents.
We also support increased investments in distributed solar storage as this will provide residents more ways to save money on their utility bills putting them in a better position to provide resources to improve the health of working families.
Importantly, the Commission’s Energy Rules protect low-income communities at risk of local economic disruptions by including preferential siting of renewable energy projects in communities impacted by the early closure of coal-fired power plants.
There is also good evidence that the general public and specifically voters support clean energy and energy efficiency standards.
The Arizona Public Health Association supports the Commission’s Energy Rules which were developed after years of study, more than a dozen public meetings, thousands of written comments, and hundreds of hours of engagement by interested Arizonans like me.
