AZ AG states that repeated power outages by the federal utility provider are “unacceptable”

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes says it is “unacceptable” that thousands of customers in central Arizona are struggling with repeated power outages. Mayes is calling on the federal government to address reliability issues and provide assistance to affected customers.

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes sent a letter to the Department of Interior (DOI) Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs, the Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), and the Regional Director of the Western Regional Office of Indian Affairs, asking them to “immediately take action to address known electric service reliability issues at the San Carlos Irrigation Project (“SCIP”).”

In the letter, Mayes implored the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Indian Affairs to “take immediate action to resolve these service interruptions.”

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ABC15 began investigating the power outages in central Arizona after dozens of people emailed for help with the problem, expressing frustration over repeated power outages this summer, lasting anywhere from a short time to more than 20 hours.

Mayes’ letter cited recent ABC15 reporting from Aug. 22 and Sept. 5 that highlighted “unsafe conditions for SCIP customers.”

Mayes met with ABC15 on Wednesday and said she has not yet received any information from federal agencies. ABC15 Investigator Nicole Grigg asked what she will do if there is no response.

“We’re really in the process of talking about what I’m going to do next,” Mayes said. “We would certainly consider our legal options.”

ABC15 also asked her if she thought there would be any potential buyers.

“I actually think so, because we’re talking about an area that has about 13,000 customers, so that’s a pretty large group of customers,” she said. “I think the federal government could spin off those assets to one of those larger utilities that would be willing to invest in the system.”

In Friday’s letter, Mayes asked the Interior Department to fund and advertise cooling centers, distribute ice and provide credits on SCIP customers’ bills, among other measures intended to “protect SCIP customers while the Department evaluates transfers of assets and customers to other energy companies.”

SCIP does not generate its own power because the bureau has determined it no longer has access to enough water to generate hydroelectric power. Instead, it buys power from the Western Area Power Administration and Southwest Public Power Agency power pools and resells it directly to more than 13,000 customers.

A Bureau of Indian Affairs spokesperson told ABC15 the bureau believes other tribes, non-federal entities or utilities would better serve customers.

The spokesperson said in a statement: “The BIA would like to transfer ownership of the properties on the reservation to the Gila River Indian Community and the San Carlos Apache Tribe.”

The BIA also has thousands of clients who are not located on tribal lands.