APS offering $144M to Arizona tribes and others affected by coal plant closures – By Ryan Randazzo (Arizona Republic) / Nov 6 2020
Arizona Public Service is proposing to offer $144 million in help to three coal-country and tribal communities where the company eventually will close its remaining coal-burning power plants.
The plan would not only provide large investments in the Navajo Nation, Hopi tribe and Joseph City area, but also includes plans to retain workers, electrify regions of the Navajo reservation that are off the power grid, and develop renewable energy projects like solar and wind plants.
The plan represents a massive investment in communities that have suffered economically as the U.S. shifts its reliance on fossil fuels to newer technologies, and reflects a commitment from the utility that it intends to continue down a path toward 100% carbon free electricity.
“Really since the 1960s, these communities have provided the power that really fueled the growth of Arizona,” said Jeff Guldner, CEO of APS and its parent company, Pinnacle West Capital Corp.
