Corporation Commissioners Request Investigation Into Utility Shutoff Policies
Arizona Corporation Commissioners Boyd Dunn and Justin Olson on Thursday requested a probe into how and when Arizona's state-regulated utilities decide to cut power to their customers.
The initial request from Dunn asked for a review of of disconnection rules and policies, and specifically those in the Arizona Administrative Code that spell out when a utility can and cannot cut power to a customer. Olson subsequently filed a letter in the docket in support of Dunn's request.
Dunn also asked Commission-regulated utilities to share copies of their disconnection policies in order to see how utilities are actually implementing those rules. The Commission regulates 16 electric utilities in Arizona, but Dunn's letter specifically mentioned Arizona Public Service, the state's biggest electric utility with more than 1.2 million captive customers.
The Commissioners' request came after Phoenix New Times reported that 72-year-old Stephanie Pullman died in her home in Sun City West last September after APS cut her power over an unpaid bill. The medical examiner said environmental heat was a contributing cause of death, noting that Pullman's home had no air conditioning, because she had no electricity. Outside temperatures that day were in the triple digits.
Read more: https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/corporation-commissioners-investigation-utility-shutoff-policies-11312423
