Community Choice Energy (also called Community Choice Aggregation, or CCA) is a powerful tool that enables communities to choose their own sources of energy and to rapidly transition to renewables. We're calling on the City of Tucson and Pima County to incorporate CCE as a key component of their climate action and sustainability plans, and to advocate for CCE at the state level. Please consider signing our petition via the link below.
https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/community-choice-energy-for-tucson-and-pima-county
How do CCEs work?
Once CCEs are enabled at the state level (the Arizona Corporation Commission has jurisdiction in this case), a city or county can form a nonprofit CCE entity, which is comprised of community members and CCE industry experts. The CCE determines the community's energy mix (kind of like picking a stock portfolio) and purchases power wholesale from energy producers. Renewable energy is considerably cheaper than fossil fuel generation currently, and cost savings are passed on to ratepayers saving them 2-9% on their energy bills. The pre-existing energy utility continues to handle energy transmission infrastructure and billing.
What would CCE mean for Tucson and Pima County?
If CCEs were enabled at the state level, establishing one locally is likely the most impactful action the City or County could take to reduce carbon emissions in Southern Arizona, since it would affect residential and commercial customers across this community, and going beyond local government operations. Tucson is the 3rd fastest warming city in the US, and we're already experiencing the effects of the climate crisis with longer, hotter summers and extreme weather events becoming increasingly commonplace. Our regional energy monopoly, TEP, continues to build expensive oil and gas facilities, pushing a transition to renewables further down the line and leaving ratepayers on the hook when these fossil facilities will need to be retired.
We need the City of Tucson and Pima County to champion CCE at the state level, since it's currently under attack by Republican Legislators who're in the pocket of the large energy monopolies. Please help us send a message to our local elected officials that we want cheaper, cleaner renewable energy in Southern Arizona, and we want it now.
Contact us at energychoice4soaz@gmail.com.
For more information on CCEs, visit Arizonans for Community Choice or Lean Energy.
This campaign is an initiative of the Tucson Climate Coalition
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