Arizona Residents Rally Against APS’s Broken Promise Of 100% Clean Energy Future

Hundreds of angry Arizona residents gathered outside Arizona Public Service (APS) headquarters yesterday to protest the utility company’s sudden reversal of its clean energy commitment. The crowd voiced outrage over APS’s decision to abandon its 2020 pledge to reach 100% clean energy by 2050, replacing it with a “carbon neutrality” goal that allows continued fossil fuel use.

“They’ve broken their promise to Arizona families,” said Maria Gonzalez, a Phoenix resident who attended the rally. “We trusted them when they said they were committed to a clean energy future.”

APS betrayed our trust by abandoning the clean energy future they promised Arizona families.

APS recently informed stockholders that its clean energy goals were no longer tenable, citing reliability concerns amid Arizona’s rapid population growth. The company now plans to invest heavily in natural gas infrastructure, including expansion of the Transwestern Pipeline expected to be operational by 2029.

State officials joined the criticism, with Arizona’s Attorney General calling the move “reckless” given the state’s ongoing drought and wildfire threats. Several lawmakers accused APS of misleading them during recent legislative sessions to secure favorable treatment before abandoning their environmental commitments.

“They got what they wanted from lawmakers and then changed course completely,” said one state senator at the rally. “That’s not how responsible companies behave.”

The utility’s shift comes alongside two recent rate increases of 8% each in 2023 and 2024, with another 14% hike currently pending. Governor Katie Hobbs has publicly criticized APS for making the air dirtier and hurting clean energy growth in the state. Many protesters carried signs highlighting these rate increases alongside the company’s environmental reversal.

Clean energy advocates at the rally pointed out that Arizona already gets about 54% of its energy from clean sources, including nuclear power, with roughly 30% coming from renewables like solar and wind. The state’s abundant sunshine could be leveraged for solar capacity growth, similar to the dramatic expansion seen globally in 2023.

“We’re in the perfect state for solar energy,” said Tom Wilson, a retired engineer. “APS is moving backward while the rest of the country moves forward.”

Some Republican officials and the state utility commission have supported APS’s decision, arguing that grid reliability should take priority over environmental targets as Arizona continues to grow. The protesters also condemned APS’s decision to extend the life of the Four Corners Coal plant, contradicting the company’s previous commitment to close it by 2031.