Arizona utility regulators set to grill APS chief

PHOENIX (AP) — State utility regulators are scheduled to grill outgoing Arizona Public Service chief Don Brandt after a woman died when her power was shut off in triple-digit heat.

The Arizona Corporation Commission is also expected to question Brandt Wednesday about political spending by APS and its parent company, Pinnacle West Capital Corp.

APS has stopped disconnecting power this summer after a woman died a year ago when her power was shut off on a 107-degree day.

Under fire from elected commissioners, APS detailed millions of dollars it funneled to back favored candidates for the commission in the 2014 and 2016 elections. APS spent nearly $40 million opposing a 2018 initiative that would have required the utility to use more renewable energy.

Brandt is retiring in November.