After years of fighting Arizona Corporation Commissioner Bob Burns over the release of its political expenditure records, Arizona Public Service Company (APS) turned over some of the information in a Friday afternoon document dump.
With Commissioner Boyd Dunn joining Burns in the demand for information on February 27, 2019, and Commissioner Sandra Kennedy’s administrative subpoena dated March 1, 2019, APS had little choice.
“The Commissioners have asked us to provide information that goes beyond what current law requires,” wrote APS vice-president Barbara Lockwood. “Today we are voluntarily providing that information with the hope of putting the past behind us, so that together we can turn our full attention to serving customers with clean, reliable and affordable electricity to power Arizona’s future.”
For years, Burns has been demanding information regarding political contributions made by APS and its parent company, Pinnacle West Capital Corporation, in the 2014 Arizona Corporation Commission race.
APS had previously released some information on political spending for 2015, 2016 and 2017, but fought the release of its 2014 spending on the campaigns of Commissioners Tom Forese and Doug Little.
Because, the Arizona Corporation Commission regulates the utility company, many have argued that the commissioners are ‘captives’ of the utility because they rely on them for campaign contributions.
[metaslider id=65385]
“Chairman Burns and Commissioner Dunn also requested information on any written correspondence between a Commissioner and APS or Pinnacle West or its employees related to solicitations or contributions for charitable organizations,” wrote Lockwood. “After conducting extensive research, we are not aware of any such communications and to the best of our knowledge no such communications occurred.”
However, as the ADI reported in 2018, Commissioner Andy Tobin, who headed up the Arizona Legislative Academy, appears to have at least enjoyed the benefits of charitable contributions from the utility giant.
Related article: Tobin, Legislator’s Trade Trip To Mexico Raise Questions About Conflicts
| APS OUTSIDE LOBBYING EXPENSES 2013 – 2018 | |
|---|---|
| YEAR | TOTAL EXPENSES |
| 2013 | $704,204 |
| 2014 | $718,406 |
| 2015 | $373,226 |
| 2016 | $465,182 |
| 2017 | $455,707 |
| 2018 | $345,789 |
| APS/PINNACLE WEST ADVERTISING & MARKETING EXPENSES 2013 – 2018 | ||
|---|---|---|
| YEAR | APS TOTAL EXPENDITURES | PINNACLE WEST TOTAL EXPENDITURES |
| 2013 | $5,251,189 | $3,677,013 |
| 2014 | $8,907,475 | $3,723,946 |
| 2015 | $3,999,925 | $3,896.234 |
| 2016 | $3,816,198 | $3,981,946 |
| 2017 | $3,739,082 | $4,004,028 |
| 2018 | $8,891,357 | $5,137,983 |
| PINNACLE WEST POLITICAL PARTICIPATION | |
|---|---|
| 2013 | |
| Arizona Free Enterprise Club | $25,000 |
| Arizona Prosperity Alliance | $288,250 |
| Center To Protect Patient Rights | $200,000 |
| 2014 | |
| ARIZONA DEMOCRATIC PARTY | $25,000 |
| Arizona Republican Party | $188,500 |
| Dodie Londen EIPSS | $25,000 |
| House Victory | $5,000 |
| Republican Attorney’s General Association | $425,000 |
| Republican Governors Association | $50,000 |
| Senate Victory PAC | $5,000 |
| Arizona Cattle Feeders Association | $1,371,450 |
| Arizona Free Enterprise Club | $5,870,000 |
| Arizona Future Fund | $100,000 |
| Arizona Prosperity Alliance | $801,500 |
| Citizens For A Working America INC | $25,000 |
| Friends For Arizonas Future | $50,000 |
| Friends Of Arizona | $421,700 |
| Save Our Future Now | $13,000 |
| Save Our Future Now FN2 | $3,500,00 |
| 2015 | |
| Arizona Democratic Party | $50,000 |
| Arizona Republican Party | $110,000 |
| Dodie Londen Series | $25,000 |
| Democratic Attorneys General Association | $25,000 |
| Republican Governors Association | $50,000 |
| Senate Leadership Fund | $30,000 |
| Edison Electric Institute | $13,150 |
| Nuclear Energy Institute | $13,150 |
| U.S. Chamber of Commerce | $30,000 |
| Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce | $11,250 |
| Arizona Chamber of Commerce | $42,728 |
| Electronic Drive Transportation Association | $5,670 |
| New Mexico Utilities Shareholder Alliance | $3,960 |