Sept 25 APS Rate Hike Complaint Press Conference
Channel: Stacey Champion
Date: 2018-09-26

From the press conference release:

In true David versus Goliath proportions, more than 7000 Arizona residents and APS customers have signed on to a Change.org petition, set up a legal fund, retained an attorney, retained an expert, and are pushing for a rehearing of the APS/Pinnacle West purported $95 MILLION rate hike which was approved by the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) in August 2017, which many feel was unjust, unjustified, and is causing hardship for many.

Phoenix, AZ – A press conference will take place tomorrow, September 25, at 9:00 a.m. in front of the Arizona Corporation Commission building, followed by the long-awaited hearing inside at 10:00 a.m. for Docket No. E-01345A-18-0002 – Stacey Champion, et al. v. Arizona Public Service Company. The Arizona Corporation Commission is located at 1200 W. Washington, Phoenix. Ms. Champion has retained the law firm Wong and Carter, and attorney Adam Stafford will be in attendance for the press conference. Expert Abhay Padgaonkar and intervenors Richard Gayer and Warren Woodward will be joining them at the hearing.

The complaint was originally filed with the Arizona Corporation Commission on January 3, 2018 by Champion with more than 400 APS customer petition signatures, citing A.R.S. 40-246, as to the "reasonableness of any rates and charges" of APS, a public service corporation. Since that time, the petition has received more than 7000 signatures, numerous comments about rising power bills and hardship, and the group continues to crowd contribute to a legal fund, which has to date raised more than $20k for the grassroots effort.

Though attempts have previously been made by both Commissioner Forese and Staff to postpone the September 25 hearing date, Administrative Law Judge Jane L. Rodda has maintained the date which had been set and ordered back in April. ACC Staff who was inserted into the case at Commissioner Forese's request late in June, have been given an allowance by Rodda to file their report into the Docket this Wednesday, September 26 by noon, the day following the start of the hearing, which is expected to last 3 to 4 days. Commissioners Tobin and Burns have also subsequently filed their own letters into the Docket as well.

The hearing will be open to public comments on Tuesday, prior to Champion's expert taking the stand, and a call-in number has been provided for those unable to attend in person or who don't have internet access so they may listen in. The hearing will also be broadcast live from the ACC website for those interested.

Champion's goal is to show that APS' residential rates which came out of the August 2017 rate hike are unjust, unjustified, and not the average 4.5% or $6/mo. that both APS and the Arizona Corporation Commission advertised, and are causing an undue hardship for thousands of APS customers across the state. The desired outcome of the complaint is a realistic and transparent full rate hike rehearing which would completely rescind the formerly approved rate hike.

Live Broadcast link: https://www.azcc.gov/livebroadcast.asp