July 25 APS Rate Hike Rehearing Press Conference
Channel: Stacey Champion
Date: 2018-07-26

As an update to this press conference, in the procedural conference that followed, Administrative Law Judge Jane L. Rodda did the fair and just thing by adhering to the set hearing date of September 25, 2018. You may watch that hearing here: http://azcc.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=3&clip_id=3169

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In true David versus Goliath proportions, nearly 6000 Arizona APS customers have signed on to a Change.org petition, set up a legal fund, retained an attorney, and are pushing for a rehearing of the APS/Pinnacle West $95+ MILLION rate hike which was approved by the Arizona Corporation Commission in August 2017, which many feel was unjust, unjustified, and is causing hardship for many.

Phoenix, AZ – A press conference will take place tomorrow, July 25, at 10:00 a.m. in front of the Arizona Corporation Commission building, followed by a procedural conference inside at 10:30 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 and 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 nearly 6000 signatures, numerous comments about rising power bills and hardship, and the group continues to crowd contribute to a legal fund. 

In March, 2018, APS was pushing for the hearing to be held in June, 2018, stating:  "Unfortunately, APS is concerned that delay will only push this matter closer to the November 2018 election, which risks distorting this process arid increasing customer confusion."  But on April 16, 2018, Administrative Law Judge Jane L. Rodda set the hearing date for September 25, 2018.

Though the deadline date to intervene in the matter was set for May 11, 2018, Commissioner Tom Forese who is currently running for re-election, submitted a letter to the docket on June 21, 2018 asking for staff to be involved in the process, even though staff was a party to the rate hike settlement agreement and staff and all Commissioners have had more than 6 months to get involved, yet haven’t.

Staff then responded to Forese’s request with their own submission to the docket with a new proposed schedule that pushes the hearing to January, 2019, well AFTER the upcoming election. 

Ms. Champion and others believe the current schedule set by ALJ Rodda in April should stand, and that the hearing should take place in September 2018, as due process delayed is due process denied, and pushing the hearing unnecessarily out by 4 months is not fair to Champion or petition signatories.