A conservative group says Arizona Republicans are wrong to limit renewable energy in the state.
David Jenkins is president of Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship. He says Arizona House Bill 2248 and its companion Senate Bill 1175 — which strip the commission’s powers to mandate use of renewables — will actually alienate conservatives.
“If Arizona is not going along those same trends that reflect the current energy market and the current technology, you know, Arizona is not going to be a place businesses want to locate. Businesses have their own carbon footprint goals or their own renewable energy goals and they need to go to states that they know that they can get that," he said.
Jenkins' group is speaking out as state lawmakers look to intervene in the Arizona Corporation Commission’s authority over energy regulation. He said conservatives should also be paying attention to protecting public lands by reversing Trump-era policies that favor oil and gas leases.
