Letter: Response to Sharon Bronson's Opinion piece

Sharon Bronson’s full-throated support of TEP is one way of looking at Tucson’s electric utility. When looking at affordability in our community the picture looks far different. At the January 13th Town Hall, hosted by State Attorney General Kris Mayes, the standing-room-only crowd voiced concerns regarding the impact of TEP’s current rates, its record of rate increases and future plans including data centers like Project Blue. AG Mayes noted TEP’s unprecedented series of recent rate increases and robust profits. Additionally, she is preparing to appeal the Arizona Corporation Commission’s approval of an energy supply agreement between TEP and the developers of Project Blue, and questioning why intervenors such as the City of Tucson weren’t allowed to cross-examine during the December hearing. TEP’s annual profits for 2024 were $288M. Ms. Bronson highlighting $1.7M of community support funding (0.6% of profits) is enough to feed the chickens and the public relations.