Local opinion: TEP's 14 percent rate increase should be rejected

I have lived in Tucson my entire life, and over my 54 years, I have watched the city change and grow in many ways. What I’ve never seen before, nor expected, is my utility bill to increase three times in five years.

I work hard as a banquet server, but it’s been tough in today’s economy. Still, being a server has taught me what a strong American work ethic truly means. At one time, that hard work was rewarded with a basic compact. If you wake up and work hard, you can build independence and freedom from financial fear.

Our paychecks haven’t kept with the exploding cost of living. Every day, I feel like the American Dream is increasingly out of reach, and that maybe it’s a flat-out lie. Tucson Electric Power’s (TEP) efforts to raise our utility rates another 14 percent only frays this tattered promise and my nerves even more. I already worry about paying my bills in the summer. My TEP bills only seem to go higher every year. I’ll have less for my essentials while it will just mean more money for an already-profitable TEP.

Even while using resources like WorkMoney, I am worried about having to live in the dark and sweltering heat just to afford day-to-day life in Tucson. It’s already difficult to make ends meet each day, and the stress only gets worse year to year.

I try to use less gas and electricity, even cutting back on heat during extreme cold. Lately, I have had to choose between paying for food, rent or my TEP bill. Forget any idea of a vacation. I cannot remember the last time I could afford one. When was the last time TEP executives had to face any of these choices?

Mine is just one story among many Arizonans who face an ever-fearful reality without financial choices no matter how hard we work. According to the U.S.Census, 46 percent of people in our state are what they call energy insecure. Some 21 percent can’t pay their bill in full, 27 percent keep their homes at unsafe temperatures, and 35 percent are skipping food and medicine to pay their utility bills. The reality is, I am now in this group. We should not have to choose between buying food, paying for our homes or our utilities.

How can TEP ask more from customers when they already have so much? TEP’s parent company, Fortis Inc., reported $1.6 billion in earnings in 2024.

Already, I am on a payment plan with TEP. Even before a 14 percent increase, I’ve borrowed money from friends and family so I can pay all of my bills. Meanwhile, corporations like TEP are reporting billions of dollars in revenue. That math is not fair to working people.

The mission of the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) is to ensure safe, reliable, and affordable utility services. As taxpayers, we fund the Commission, and its members are meant to serve the public, not utility corporations. Right now, the ACC has the authority to approve or reject TEP’s proposed rate increase. That’s why, I call on the ACC to stop this 14 percent rate hike at once.

This month, Tucson residents have the opportunity to speak up and show commissioners how much higher utility bills would strain families across our community. We can seize this moment and make it clear to TEP and the ACC that a 14 percent rate increase is simply unacceptable. It means more profit for billion-dollar corporations and another attack on an American Dream, which I already feel has slipped away.

Arizona needs affordable utilities. We can make a difference. I call on other customers to join hands with me and make our voices heard by submitting a public comment to the Arizona Corporation Commission or calling into the next hearing on March 19 at 5:30 p.m. (dial 1-877-309-3457 and use passcode 808262284##). Only we can stop the rate increase.