Arizona regulators approve sale of beleaguered utility

[TexasTowelie]

Arizona utility regulators approved a deal for EPCOR USA to purchase the beleaguered Johnson Utilities company and for customers to pay for part of the transaction with hikes in their monthly bills.

The decision Tuesday split the Arizona Corporation Commission 3-2.

EPCOR USA, a subsidiary of a Canadian company, will purchase Johnson Utilities, which has roughly 30,000 water customers and about 40,000 wastewater customers across the state, the Arizona Republic reported. Its territory encompasses about 160 square miles of land, a size bigger than the city of Denver.

The deal would mean customers will pay about $45 million more over 15 years. According to documents filed with the commission, in the final 15th year, customers can expect to pay anywhere between $5 to $12 a month more in fees.

Read more: https://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2020/12/24/arizona-regulators-approve-sale-of-beleaguered-utility/

[Wellstone ruled]

1. Just the start of

the Water Wars to come. Here in the Southwest,Water Rights are more valuable than Gold.

[OneBlueDotBama]

2. EPCOR...

Is Edmonton power corp, as owned by the city of Edmonton, Alberta.

[wackadoo wabbit]

3. Water belongs to the commons. It should not be owned by private utilities

I live in an area with privately owned water, too. I really wish that the Dems had taken over the legislature (despite the federal blue wave we saw here, it doesn't appear to have translated to state government); then, maybe, we'd be able to do something about the travesty of private water utilities.

This is going to become a much bigger issue as climate change dries up the little water Arizona has.