| My Turn: What You Didn't Read About RUCO's Text Messages |
My Turn: What You Didn't Read About RUCO's Text MessagesDavid Tenney, AZ I See It 4:16 p.m. MST September 14, 2016 | azcentral.com RUCO director: Tell the full story about the Arizona utility consumer office's "ties" with APS and solar interests.
Here’s how it works: If a utility asks for a rate increase, the utility’s attorneys make their case before state regulators — and RUCO, in turn, stands up for customers like you who may not have the luxury of expensive attorneys. If a rate increase is unnecessary or too high (or simply doesn’t benefit the public), RUCO stands firm and makes sure that Arizona families come out winners. We take our jobs as advocates for the public extremely seriously. Our work is done with ratepayers and hardworking taxpayers in mind, and we have done so proudly and consistently since I was appointed in January 2015. In fact, in the first three quarters of 2016 alone, RUCO has participated in eight rate cases and has saved ratepayers nearly $53 million. For an office with a budget of just over $1 million, these savings are enormously successful. Look beyond cherry-picked messages Unfortunately, an article in Friday’s Arizona Republic used cherry-picked emails and text messages to make it look like our office is playing favorites with Arizona Public Service, the state’s largest electric utility, favoring them over the solar industry and consumers. That’s simply untrue. The emails and text messages were obtained by a political group which has members with business before the Corporation Commission and is known for using controversial, hard-line tactics to get its way — even if that means hiding half of the story. The text messages “reveal” that Lon Huber, one of RUCO’s consultants, was in communication with Greg Bernosky, the director of state regulation compliance for Arizona Public Service. The Republic concluded that these messages demonstrate “close ties” between RUCO and utilities. Of course we speak with representatives from the utilities. That’s our job: to speak with all parties involved in rate-related proceedings and to represent ratepayers in those proceedings. Much like the Arizona Department of Health Services might meet with patients, doctors, hospitals and others when considering health-care reform, we meet with consumers, utilities, solar companies and others when considering reforms to our energy policies. We met with solar companies, too For instance, in June, Mr. Huber met with a high-ranking official from SolarCity. In July, he had breakfast with Sunrun and SolarCity employees who were assigned to handle cases in Arizona, as well as meeting with an executive from American Solar & Roofing, based in Tempe. So here is the reality: Working with all parties involved in rate proceedings and learning from their unique perspectives is the best way we can advocate for ratepayers and taxpayers. By pursuing a common-sense, all-of-the-above energy strategy that represents and protects consumers, RUCO is making sure that all Arizonans are free to utilize our state’s biggest natural resource — the sun — without overly burdening non-solar ratepayers with excessive costs. In that process, we’re sure to be at odds from time to time with both sides in this debate. Under my leadership, RUCO will continue its work on behalf of the state of Arizona with complete transparency and due diligence. David Tenney is director of the Arizona Residential Utility Consumer Office. Email him at |
For more than three decades, the Arizona Residential Utility Consumer Office (RUCO), of which I am director, has advocated on behalf of energy consumers and protected Arizonans’ interests.