Arizona
In Arizona, the Future of Renewable Energy is on the Ballot
When political pundits name Arizona a key swing state in November’s midterm elections, they’re speaking concerning the races for management of the US Senate and Home. Nevertheless it’s a down-ballot contest that makes Arizona a swing state within the battle in opposition to local weather change: the race for 2 open seats on the five-member Arizona Company Fee (ACC). Relying on what voters resolve, Arizona might both change into a pacesetter in decarbonizing electrical energy or it might abandon these efforts totally.
Autumn Johnson, government director of the Arizona Photo voltaic Power Industries Affiliation, says that if the 2 Democratic candidates are elected—incumbent Sandra Kennedy and Lauren Kuby)—then “that fully adjustments the universe of what is likely to be potential on the ACC.” But when Republican candidates Nick Myers and Kevin Thompson each win, Johnson paints a bleak image for residents of a state that’s on the entrance strains of local weather change, presently enduring the worst drought in 1,200 years, document excessive warmth that killed 339 folks within the Phoenix metro space alone this summer season, and a wildfire season that’s rising longer and extra harmful. (The Sierra Membership’s Grand Canyon Chapter has endorsed Kennedy and Kuby.)
Till just lately, solar energy was not a very partisan challenge in a state that sees about 360 sunny days a 12 months, says Johnson of the photo voltaic trade affiliation. Arizona’s most up-to-date renewable power normal, established in 2006, mandated utilities to generate 15 p.c of their electrical energy from renewable sources by 2025—and it was created by a Republican-led fee.
However that was earlier than Donald Trump. Right now, the Arizona GOP has climbed onto the Trump Practice and Myers and Thompson are clearly on board, with endorsements that embrace a number of pro-Trump teams.
Like public utility commissions in most states, the Arizona Company Fee units the charges utilities cost prospects. However the ACC is completely different in two necessary methods: It’s Arizona’s major governmental physique for mitigating local weather change and it holds monumental energy to take action. The fee, which is typically known as the state’s fourth department of presidency, was created by the Arizona Structure at statehood to be largely unbiased of the governor, the legislature, and the courts, accountable solely to the voters of Arizona on the subject of ratemaking. Kennedy and Kuby need to proceed utilizing these powers to hasten the adoption of unpolluted energy. Their opponents need to jettison that authority.
“The Company Fee shouldn’t be setting coverage,” Republican Kevin Thompson instructed Sierra. “That ought to be achieved on the legislative degree.”
Candidate Lauren Kuby says there are a number of issues with that change. “It’s a part-time legislature,” she stated in an interview, “and It doesn’t have the employees or assets to do the form of research required” to make power coverage. The ACC, then again, has a complete of 223 employees members, many with years of expertise in electrical engineering, nuclear energy, finance, power regulation, security, water useful resource administration, environmental science, and regulatory compliance.
In 2019, the fee used its policy-making energy to ban utilities from shutting off energy to prospects in arrears throughout warmth waves, after a 72-year-woman who lived alone died when Arizona Public Service, the state’s largest utility, lower off her energy over an unpaid invoice for $176.84 on a day when the temperature was nicely over 100 levels. Requested if he would vote to rescind the coverage if elected, Thompson would solely say it’s the federal authorities’s job to assist weak folks take care of utility payments.
The 2 slates of candidates are additionally 180 levels aside on the power future they envision for Arizona. Thompson and Myers consider the invisible hand of the market is greatest geared up to decide on power sources. When requested concerning the market’s failure to account for the adjustments in local weather brought on by burning fossil fuels, Thompson hedged. “There’s something occurring to the local weather,” he allowed, however insisted that no one is aware of “the proper degree” of CO2. Apart from, he added, “Crops and forests thrive off of CO2.”
Democratic candidate Kuby believes her opponent’s view of Arizona’s power future is predicated on his previous employment. Thompson labored for Southwest Fuel, the most important distributor of methane fuel in Arizona, for 17 years. “He is knee-deep within the utility trade,” she stated.
Fuel is the most important supply {of electrical} era within the state (at 43 p.c of the whole), and if elected, Thompson could be regulating the corporate he labored for. However, he argues, his background within the trade isn’t a battle of curiosity, it’s a bonus for Arizonans.
“It provides me form of a leg up,” he stated, “as a result of I can stroll in already understanding how the utility world revolves.”
Apart from, Thompson stated, he’s not wedded to fuel and factors to his assist for mini-nuclear reactors, recognized within the trade as Small Modular Reactors, or SMRs. “[SMRs are] going to be our power future,” he instructed Sierra. “I feel it’s our job as commissioners to take away regulatory obstacles and pave the best way for brand new applied sciences resembling SMRs.”
Thompson stated it’s Kuby and Kennedy who’re too aligned with one gas supply. “They’re actually centered on bringing photo voltaic to Arizona,” he stated, and insisting that solar energy continues to be too costly and would threaten grid stability as a result of it generates energy solely when the solar is shining. “The know-how for battery storage isn’t the place it must be for 100% photo voltaic.”
That causes his opponents to scratch their heads for a number of causes. First, they level out that the price of photo voltaic panels has dropped by 85 p.c since 2010, making it as low-cost or cheaper than constructing new fossil gas energy vegetation.
Apart from, they’re not advocating a change to all photo voltaic anytime quickly, or ever. What Kennedy and Kuby assist is a change to wash energy in any kind and with an inexpensive timeframe. Kennedy known as her opponents’ prices “a scare tactic” designed to make voters consider their utility payments will go up in a single day if the 2 Democrats are elected.
Additionally they level out that battery storage is already widespread and getting cheaper and extra technologically superior (together with the power to offer energy to the grid from electrical car batteries throughout peak demand). Small nuclear reactors, then again, are nonetheless solely hypothetical. A 2022 trade report concluded that the only SMR challenge that started in the USA in 2000 is “too late, too costly, too dangerous, and too unsure.”
The competing slates additionally disagree on what the state owes the Hopi and Navajo communities that for six many years fueled Arizona’s prosperity by leasing their lands to coal mining corporations.
Kuby believes some form of transition program is required to assist coal-dependent and impoverished communities. The truth that over 70 p.c of all unelectrified properties in the USA are on Navajo land is, she stated, “an ethical stain on our state.”
The Republicans are simply as adamant that Arizona owes nothing to Indigenous communities, with Nick Myers dismissing any such assist as “overseas help.”
The candidates agree on one factor: that this election provides voters the starkest selections potential. The place they differ is on what the downstream results of these selections will probably be. The Republicans say the ACC ought to finish mandates—and let the market work out what’s greatest. The Democrats say that the state’s vulnerability to local weather change necessitates that the ACC maintains its function in directing utility coverage to make sure that all Arizonans get clear, wholesome, dependable power at an inexpensive worth.
Paid for by Sierra Membership Arizona PAC. Not Approved by any candidate or candidate committee.
Chad Mitton and family running the show for ALA West Foothills football
ALA West Foothills HC Chad Mitton coaches his son and quarterback Hudson Mitton. His father, ex-Trevor Browne head coach Bill Mitton, gives him input.
With 18 of their 22 suspended players back for the 2A semifinals, the 12th-seeded Scottsdale Christian Eagles pulled the biggest upset of the small-school state football playoffs Saturday.
They avenged their season-opening loss to No. 1-seed Gilbert San Tan Charter with a 34-21 victory at Mesa Westwood High School.
Scottsdale Christian (9-4) will face No. 3 Pima (12-1), which stunned No. 2 Tonopah Valley 40-34 in the earlier semifinal on Saturday.
SCA and Pima will play next Saturday at Glendale Mountain Ridge High School at 2 p.m. It is a rematch of last year’s state championship game that Scottsdale Christian won 41-22. The teams met in Week 7 this year with Pima winning 20-17.
Scottsdale Christian had 22 players suspended for leaving the sideline in the final minute of its first-round upset of No. 5 Eloy Santa Cruz, after a fight broke out.
The Eagles were able to escape Phoenix Veritas Prep 26-24 with a depleted roster, before getting most of their players back for San Tan Charter, a powerful team led by Arizona State-bound Uriah Neloms, a wide receiver who played quarterback in his final high school season.
SCA quarterback Sean Helgeson passed for three touchdowns, including a 70-yarder to Lawson Lavallee that broke a 14-14 tie late in the third quarter. Midway through the final quarter, Caleb Randall, a top small-schools linebacker who added running back duties this season, scored on a 2-yard run to give the Eagles a 27-14 lead.
On STC’s ensuing possession, sophomore Caleb Murphy intercepted a pass and returned it 40 yards for a score, sealing the win.
“This time we just concentrated on us,” SCA coach Mike Sheahan said. “We have had so much adversity the last couple of weeks and, honestly, all season, that we had to slow down and just do our thing.
“All attention was inward and the opponent just happened to be 12-0 and the No. 1 seed. These boys played for each other and the SCA community with heart.”
In the August loss to San Tan Charter (12-1), SCA was without its best player, Randall. He’s been a difference maker since returning from an injury that caused him to miss the first three games.
3A final set
The 3A football championship game is set between No. 2 ALA West Foothills of Waddell and No. 4 Tucson Pusch Ridge at 6 p.m., Saturday at Mountain Ridge. This is the American Leadership Academy school’s first trip to the championship in only its third year.
ALA West Foothills has been The Arizona Republic’s No. 1-ranked 3A team since preseason. Coach Chad Mitton’s team got past No. 3 Thatcher 34-22 in Saturday’s semifinal at Mesa High. But the Guardians will be without their best player, two-way star J.J. Brutus, who suffered a broken leg in the final quarter. Brutus, a running back/edge rusher, had two first-half rushing TDs. He also had a fumble recovery.
The Guardians (13-0) led by as much as 27-9, before Thatcher (10-3) scored two touchdowns to become the first team to score more than three touchdowns against ALA West Foothills this season.
Pusch Ridge (12-1) avenged its only loss this season to Benjamin Franklin Queen Creek with a 24-13 win.
Since losing to Benjamin Franklin 31-7 on Sept. 6, Pusch Ridge has reeled off 11 wins, giving up no more than two touchdowns in any of those games.
Pusch Ridge led 14-0, before Talan Speir scored on a 16-yard run with five minutes left in the third quarter to cut it to 14-7. In the final minute of the quarter, Pusch Ridge increased its lead to 21-7 on Blake Reed’s 4-yard scoring run.
After Benjamin Franklin (11-2) scored with a minute to play, Pusch Ridge recovered the on-side kick and ate up the remaining time.
Richard Obert has been covering high school sports since the 1980s for The Arizona Republic. He also covers Grand Canyon University athletics and the Arizona Rattlers. To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @azc_obert
An already crazy college football season got a whole lot crazier on Saturday.
And Arizona State was right in the middle of it.
The Sun Devils held off BYU 28-23 in a game that ended twice, creating a four-way tie for first place in the Big 12.
After it appeared Arizona State had run out the clock with a fourth down throw that sailed 50-plus yards down the sideline and landed in the stands, Sun Devils fans stormed the field and brought down the goalposts.
But the game wasn’t over. Officials determined that Sam Leavitt’s throw landed in the stands with one second on the clock. So they cleared the field, put the goalposts back up, and gave BYU one final play from midfield.
On the final play, BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff threw a Hail Mary pass that was caught short of the goal line, officially ending the game.
Then the fans stormed the field again.
“We won the football game,” Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham said. “We beat another ranked team at Mountain America Stadium. So this is all about the guys. These guys battled, these guys fought and found a way to win. Whatever happened at the end, it happened.
“You know what? We got to rush the field twice, how about that?”
Losses Clear CFP Path For Arizona State
The upsets on Saturday started early and continued all day.
Seven Top 25 teams lost, including No. 5 Indiana, No. 7 Alabama and No. 9 Ole Miss, No. 15 Texas A&M and No. 16 Colorado.
Arizona State’s win over No. 14 BYU, coupled with Colorado’s 37-21 loss to Kansas, means the Sun Devils will be the highest-ranked Big 12 team in the next College Football Playoff Rankings.
So how high will the Sun Devils climb?
You can make a case that they should be in the top 10.
Indiana (10-1) has played a historically soft schedule and showed it has no business being in the top 10 with a blowout loss to Ohio State — the only ranked opponent they will play all season.
Alabama (8-3) was soundly beaten by an average Oklahoma team and now has three losses. Ole Miss (8-3) also has three losses, including a bad one to Kentucky.
All three teams should drop out of the top 10 — and Arizona State should move in.
Predicting the Next CFP Rankings
Arizona State easily had the best win of any Top 25 team on Saturday. And they have repeatedly showed they are one of the best college football teams in the country, with NFL talent all over the roster. What they have accomplished is not a fluke.
They’re better than Indiana and Boise State. The Broncos barely beat a Wyoming team that the Sun Devils blasted 48-7 earlier this season.
Here’s how the Top 13 of the next CFP Rankings should look:
1. Oregon (11-0)
2. Ohio State (9-1)
3. Texas (9-1)
4. Notre Dame (9-1)
5. Penn State (9-1)
6. Miami (9-1)
7. Georgia (8-2)
8. Tennessee (8-2)
9. SMU (9-1)
10. Arizona State (9-2)
11. Alabama (8-3)
12. Indiana (10-1)
13. Boise State (9-1)
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter where Arizona State is ranked because they just need to win two more games to get in — next week at Arizona, then the Big 12 championship game.
But the national respect for the Sun Devils — and the Big 12 — is long overdue.
More Arizona State & Big 12 Analysis
Here’s what you need to know about the University of Arizona
UA was established in 1885, and its main campus is in Tucson. The Wildcats once had a live bobcat named Rufus as a mascot.
The Republic
FORT WORTH, Texas — When Arizona trekked to Texas last year, the Wildcats celebrated a come-from-behind victory in the Alamo Bowl to cap a historic season.
The only celebratory moment in Arizona’s 49-28 loss to TCU at Amon G. Carter Stadium on Saturday was UA star wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan setting the program’s all-time receiving yards record.
Arizona’s setback officially puts the Wildcats out of bowl contention. Arizona (4-7) won’t participate in the postseason for the sixth time in seven seasons. Brent Brennan is the third straight Arizona head coach to miss out on a bowl game in his first season at the helm.
Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita’s pass attempt to McMillan running an out route was intercepted on the first play from scrimmage on Saturday. TCU running back Trent Battle scored a 4-yard rushing touchdown to give the Horned Frogs a 7-0 lead; he scored again on TCU’s opening drive of the second half.
TCU quarterback Josh Hoover, the Big 12’s leading passer, was pressured by UA defensive end Lance Keneley and threw an interception on the Horned Frogs’ second drive. Arizona free safety Jack Luttrell intercepted the pass for his third pick of the season, which tied sophomore Genesis Smith for a team-high this season.
Despite the first-quarter interception, the Wildcats failed to reach TCU territory on the first three drives and fell behind 14-0.
Arizona clawed its way back to a one-possession deficit after Fifita connected with tight end Sam Olson, who ran a seam route, for a 51-yard gain to the red zone. UA redshirt sophomore wide receiver Chris Hunter completed the drive with a 17-yard touchdown catch, stretching out his body and tapping his toes to stay in bounds. Since becoming a starter last month, Hunter has emerged as the Wildcats second-best pass-catcher behind McMillan.
Arizona’s dime defense used a similar tactic it used last week against Houston, showing blitz with multiple defensive backs in the box and two defensive linemen in a two-point stance. The Wildcats either pressured Hoover or dropped back in coverage against TCU’s high-powered passing attack. Arizona forced back-to-back three-and-out possessions, but failed to convert TCU’s empty possessions into touchdowns. Arizona kicker Tyler Loop made a 53-yard and 43-yard field goal and trimmed the deficit 14-13.
With a chance for more momentum just before halftime, TCU converted on three third-down plays, including a third-and-18 and third-and-25. The Horned Frogs also had an intentional grounding that knocked them out of field goal range, but Hoover’s 24-yard pass to wide receiver JP Richardson set up TCU receiver-converted-running back Savion Williams for a 20-yard touchdown run to take a 21-13 lead.
Williams’ touchdown was the first of a five-touchdown streak for TCU. Arizona’s only offensive touchdown of the second half was Hunter’s goal-line catch in the back of the end zone. Hunter had eight catches for 45 yards. Third-year defensive end Sterling Lane II returned a fumble 68 yards with a minute left.
McMillan’s 8-yard catch with just under 10 minutes left in the game officially put him as Arizona’s all-time leading receiver with 3,335 yards. McMillan passed current UA wide receivers coach Bobby Wade for the record.
Arizona will now face red-hot in-state rival Arizona State for the Territorial Cup. The Wildcats have won the last two Territorial Cups.
Extra points:
- Saturday was TCU’s first win over Arizona in Fort Worth. The Wildcats beat the Horned Frogs Fort Worth in 1999.
- Arizona had 38 net rushing yards on Saturday. TCU, ranked near the bottom of the Big 12 in rushing defense, gave up an average of 190.1 rushing yards in the three games preceding Saturday.
- Second-year defensive lineman Julian Savaiinaea, the younger brother of Arizona star offensive tackle Jonah Savaiinaea, recorded his first-career sack at the UA on Saturday. Jonah Savaiinaea limped off the field in the fourth quarter.
- Arizona cornerback Emmanuel Karnley was ejected in the fourth quarter for spitting at a TCU player. Karnley will be suspended for the first half of the Territorial Cup game.
- Arizona senior nose tackle Chubba Ma’ae, who has been out most of the season with a leg injury, participated in pregame warmups but sat out. Ma’ae can play in the Territorial Cup game on Saturday and medically redshirt to preserve another year of eligibility.
- Arizona safety Gunner Maldonado, who is out with a season-ending leg injury, was one of the captains for the pregame coin toss. Maldonado was the Alamo Bowl Defensive MVP last season.
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