Nile Bunger and other residents advocate for fairer electricity rate hikes as Arizona data center growth accelerates.
Nile Bunger and dozens of other residents are lobbying the Arizona Corporation Commission to ensure that large data center users bear more of the costs for electricity rate increases. As data center development accelerates across the state, the Arizona Corporation Commission is expected to determine by the end of the year how much the state's largest power company can raise rates. Nile Bunger highlighted that the public should not bear the brunt of profits for corporations and shareholders. While the power company requests a 14% hike for general users and a 45% hike for large users like data centers, residents like William Carter argued that large users should bear their own costs. Mayor Kate Gallego is also seeking more stringent standards to ensure data centers are good neighbors. She recently signed a pact with 40 other cities to encourage sustainable, clean energy and protect local water supplies. Meanwhile, the Arizona Technology Council's President Steve Zylstra noted that while the state paused tax incentives for new data centers, the moratorium allows for more responsible development.