Commissioner Paul Newman

Sedona AZ (March 31 2011)–“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” I am writing to encourage state legislators to oppose SB1517, which would drastically change the process Arizona uses to plan and approve transmission lines that carry electricity.

The purpose of the bill is to help SunZia, a high-voltage power line that will likely carry wind power from central and southern New Mexico to southern and central Arizona. The line is focused on renewable energy – which I support heartily.

So why do I oppose the bill? Because the unintended consequences are severe. 

Commission Staff say this bill will add confusion to the process and dramatically increase Staff’s workload. Rather than relying on the expertise of the Line Siting Committee – which processes transmission requests faster than average in the U.S. – Commission Staff will need to do the work.

The bill is an end-around the normal line siting process, and gives developers who are building inter-state lines a specialized process that limits public input. We need a consistent policy for both intra-state and   inter-state power lines.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m all for renewable energy and I think we need power lines to carry green electrons. But this is the wrong way to do it. 

As we work with California and other states in the region on integrating renewable energy, we should not fix what ain’t broke. 

I encourage the Governor to veto this bill should it pass. 

The energy landscape has changed dramatically since the tragic nuclear accident in Japan, and we shouldn’t do anything that would impair our ability to wheel green electrons into and out of Arizona.

Submitted by Paul Newman, Commissioner

Arizona Corporation Commission