Underground Arizona

Underground Arizona is a non-profit formed to centralize information and educate the public about the rich policy, legal, and investment history of underground electric utilities in Arizona.

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Please sign up for our mailing list here to receive periodic updates.⁠

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Problem: Information Asymmetry

Most information about the undergrounding of utilities reaches the public through the utility companies themselves and not an unbiased source. This creates a problem wherein incomplete, inaccurate, or misleading information is presented to and accepted by the public as fact.

Example 1: The utilities regularly tell the public that the only way to underground electric lines is with outside funding, like a new property tax district or funds from a municipality or business. This is inaccurate. This exact issue was litigated in the 1970s and the utilities lost at

the Arizona Supreme Court in 1980⁠

. Since then, many utilities have placed or replaced underground distribution and transmission infrastructure through the normal ratemaking process.

Example 2: The utilities regularly tell the public that underground electric lines cost 10-20x more than over head electric lines. However, this is

demonstrably false.⁠

Moreover,

industry analyses indicate⁠

that the total cost of ownership of underground lines can be less than the total cost of ownership of overhead lines.

Solution: Information Symmetry

We formed Underground Arizona to document and share findings like these with you, the public, to help you fight for the future of your community with as accurate of information as is possible.

Decisions should be made with accurate information.

We’ve begun updating the site with data and analyses. See the site menu for new options.

You can reach us at

info@undergroundarizona.org⁠

but also please sign up for updates below.