Kitchen Sink Studios in downtown Phoenix hosted a mixer on Tuesday about solar-energy policy in Arizona and the Arizona Corporation Commission election, focusing mostly on solar power but also on broader political and environmental issues.
Marcia Busching, one of three Democratic candidates for the Commission, attended the informal, roundtable-style event and spoke about her goals and background to about 15 attendees.
Busching said the Corporation Commission needs to keep fair utility rates, create solar jobs, increase renewable-energy production and encourage investment in Arizona’s renewable-energy industry.
“Arizona being an attractive place for solar investment starts with the Arizona Corporation Commission,” she said.
Busching is one of nine candidates for three open spots on the Corporation Commission. Busching and incumbents Sandra Kennedy and Paul Newman are Democrats. Robert Burns, Susan Bitter Smith and incumbent Bob Stump are Republicans. Daniel Pout and Thomas Meadows are Green Party candidates and Christopher Gohl is running as a libertarian.
Burns, a former state Senate president, said he supports using solar power in Arizona to an extent, but that some solar-power proponents are advocating for solar “too far, too fast,” which he said was economically dangerous.
“If that transition is going to take place, the move from coal to solar … it has to be in a responsible way so you do not cripple the economy,” Burns said.
Nancy LaPlaca, Newman’s policy adviser, attended the event and said the issue of investing in solar energy was simple.
“Do you want to fund the future or the past?” she asked.
But Stump said the commission has made rapid progress in recent years on solar energy in the state, and that the issue isn’t that Republicans do not support solar energy. He said the Commission’s approval of the Agua Caliente Solar Project by First Solar was one example of making progress in terms of renewable energy in Arizona.
According to the Arizona Solar Energy Industries Association, the state’s production from photovoltaic systems increased by 333 percent between 2010 and 2011. Three of the five members of the commission during that time were Republicans.
Ben Montclair, Ikoloji Sustainability Collaborative principal, said that despite the event’s focus on solar energy, it is only a small portion of how Arizona can improve its sustainability.
Montclair said the development and revitalization of downtown Phoenix are also important issues in terms of the city’s sustainability. He cited the vast amounts of vacant land within the city’s boundaries as an obstacle to sustainability, but added that much of that space could be used efficiently in the future.
“We have the opportunity to become the most sustainable city in the world, because it’s a blank slate.”
Other aspects of downtown issues — like community gardens, public transit, city parks, livability and walkability — affect the city’s energy efficiency, he said.
Ikoloji President Leslie Lindo said the event was a good fit for downtown Phoenix because solar power and sustainability go hand in hand with the principles of efficient development and revitalizing the downtown community. She said Kitchen Sink specifically seemed like a good location for this event.
“This seems like the hub where this kind of stuff happens,” Lindo said.
She added that despite the event’s low turnout, she thought it was effective in terms of offering community members a chance to hear about solar energy issues directly from Busching.
“A one-on-one dialogue is more meaningful,” she said.
Contact the reporter at john.l.fitzpatrick@asu.edu
