Tiny, Weird Downballot Election Will Determine Energy Policy For Phoenix - 5th-Biggest US City
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On April 2, the energy future of Phoenix, the fifth-largest city in the U.S. with a population of more than 1.6 million, could be reshaped by a little-noticed election in which only 7,000 people are expected to cast ballots, based upon the election results in 2022 and according to board member Randy Miller. Though less than 1% of the region’s residents are expected to vote, the campaign has attracted a bevy of candidates and the attention of famed environmental activists.
A slate of clean-energy candidates is campaigning for seats on the two boards of the Salt River Project, a not-for-profit utility that provides water and power to more than 2 million people living in central Arizona. It’s one of the largest public power companies in the country. Critics say that it’s one of the biggest contributors in the Western U.S. to greenhouse gas emissions since it relies on coal, oil and natural gas to generate more than two-thirds of its energy. Arizona is the sunniest state in the country, yet the Salt River Project gets only 3.4% of its energy from solar, lagging behind the state overall, which gets 10% from solar.
Some of the incumbent board members have served for decades because of an election system set up in the early 1900s — when the Valley of the Sun was settled by farmers and ranchers — that allows only property owners to vote and apportions votes by acreage. The more land you own, the more votes you get. As a result, most of the utility’s customers don’t have a say in choosing the leadership of a body that sets their energy rates and decides what energy sources they use to generate electricity.
A slate of clean-energy advocates, including Lauren Kuby, a former vice mayor of Tempe, Arizona, promises to accelerate solar deployments, adjust rates to incentivize the use of rooftop solar and strengthen watershed protection in a region that is increasingly suffering from drought and extreme heat. In 2023, Phoenix saw a record 54 days when the temperature hit 110 degrees. “We’re looking to make history,” Kuby said. “We want to get serious about greenhouse gas reductions, set retirement dates for Salt River Project coal plants and increase solar in the district,” she added, saying that they also want to make the voting process more democratic so that elections are not limited to just property owners.
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https://capitalandmain.com/the-way-down-the-ballot-races-that-could-transform-energy-policy-for-millions
