Summer 2023 update: How the Council is supporting the growth of Arizona’s clean energy economy

For many years now, the Council has focused on supporting the growth of Arizona’s clean energy economy. As the leading trade association for science and technology companies across the Grand Canyon State, the Council works to mobilize the statewide technology ecosystem to engage federal, state and local lawmakers; spread awareness of the nearly $500 billion in federal funds made available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA); and ensure the equitable implementation of federal funds among diverse communities.

Although these federal funds are a significant step in the right direction, there is still work to be done to achieve a 100% clean economy by 2050. Between its top-tier educational institutions, growing talent pool, robust technology ecosystem, and ample sunshine, Arizona is poised to continue its development into a clean energy leader. Arizona’s population is also uniquely diverse, which provides both the challenge and opportunity to equitably disseminate federal funding and secure environmental and economic justice for communities long overburdened by climate change and pollution.

To help move the needle, the Council spent the summer of 2023 educating its member community of over 750 technology companies on the BIL and IRA and how this critical funding can help alleviate environmental and economic divides in communities across Arizona. The Council accomplished this mission by:

Organizing meetings with state leaders and policymakers to showcase the early impacts of BIL and IRA funding

• Council President and CEO Steve Zylstra spoke at a press conference alongside Senator Kelly, Mayor Gallego and other Arizona business leaders to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act’s passage into law and all of the great economic benefits that have since come to fruition. See post on Twitter.
• The Council hosted a legislative roundtable with Senator Sinema at Benchmark in Tempe to celebrate her support of the IRA, BIL and CHIPS and Science Act and discuss workforce challenges. Industry representatives from companies like Raytheon, Intel and Boeing, and education representatives from community colleges across the state attended. See posts on Twitter here and here.
• The Council hosted its inaugural and sold-out E-Mobility and Clean Energy Summit at ASU Skysong. Council President and CEO Steve Zylstra held a fireside chat on clean energy with Mayor Kate Gallego. Director Maren Mahoney of the Governor’s Office of Resiliency also participated in a panel presentation. See post on Twitter here.
• The Council participated in a media event at Ideal Air Conditioning and Insulation in Phoenix to discuss how federal funding will positively impact Arizona and that rollbacks would harm the state’s progress. Other speakers included Gov. Hobbs and Mayor Kate Gallego. See post on Twitter here.
• Karla Morales, VP of the Council in Southern Arizona, moderated a bipartisan conversation with Congressman Grijalva and Congressman Ciscomani at Pima Community College that focused in part on clean energy innovations.

Generating awareness over the disproportionate impact of climate change on communities of color and how the Justice40 initiative can help alleviate this burden

• The Council authored an article published in AZ Inno called “My View: Battery industry promises to supercharge Arizona economy” which discusses how the IRA is attracting companies from outside Arizona like LG and how KORE Power recently received an $850 million loan from the U.S. Department of Energy. The KORE Power Gigafactory will generate more than 6,400 employment opportunities in Buckeye, a predominantly Latino community.
• The Council ran radio ads on KJZZ / KBACH that celebrated KORE Power’s $850 million loan from the U.S. Department of Energy to build their battery manufacturing facility in Buckeye.
• The Council was featured in a Phoenix Business Journal article called “Tech industry, university leaders discuss workforce challenges with Sen. Kyrsten Sinema” that covered the Council’s legislative roundtable with Sen. Sinema and business leaders at Benchmark. The group of private sector and community college leaders discussed how to build a pipeline of qualified and diverse talent that can support Arizona’s technology and clean energy future.
• The Council’s article called “Achieving Environmental Equity in Arizona” was featured on pgs. 58-59 of the May 2023 issue of Green Living Magazine. The article shares how generations of discriminatory urban planning practices have created a deep divide in many cities across the country, where underserved areas have less access to natural spaces, resulting in negative health effects.

Developing and sharing our resources with our membership, elected officials and state agencies

• All of the above articles and op-eds were included in our blog and our monthly TechTalk e-newsletters that went out to our members and e-blast subscribers at the end of each month. The articles were also shared on social media.
• Disseminating a monthly clean energy snapshot that includes clean energy-related grants and programs made available through the BIL and IRA
  • The Council disseminated July 2023, June 2023 and May 2023 federal clean-energy snapshots that included federal clean energy-related grants and programs made available through the BIL with our member community through our monthly TechTalk e-newsletter.

Working with Public Policy Partners (P3) and Council members to shape and influence proactive clean energy and technology policy proposals emerging at the Legislature

• The Council’s Public Policy Committee met monthly to discuss various public policy initiatives, including clean-energy/technology policy proposals emerging at the state legislature over the extended session.

Sharing updates monthly about BIL, Justice40 and other clean energy initiatives on the Council’s blog

• July: The full clean-energy blog post recapping trending clean-energy articles in the month of July included “Arizona holds steady in nation’s top 10 for solar industry jobs”, “ASU seeks a new kind of battery solution for electric vehicles” and “VP Kamala Harris discusses climate change, water crisis during Arizona visit”.
• June: The full clean-energy blog post recapping trending clean-energy articles in the month of June included “SRP offering home installation services for EV charging stations”, “Arizona on track for impressive solar industry growth, report says” and “$1 billion battery complex in Buckeye secures most of funding needed for construction.”
• May: The full clean-energy blog post recapping trending clean-energy articles in the month of May included “Arizona, other Southwest states agree on Colorado River water plan”, “We Recycle Solar expands operation in Arizona” and “ASU to lead new DOE Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute”.

Publishing a monthly round-up article covering clean-energy news and updates on our blog and in our monthly TechTalk e-newsletter

• July: The full TechTalk e-blast (including the clean energy section) for the month of July can be found on our blog.
• June: The full TechTalk e-blast (including the clean energy section) for the month of June can be found on our blog.
• May: The full TechTalk e-blast (including the clean energy section) for the month of May can be found on our blog.

Sharing social media posts about BIL, IRA, Justice40 and other clean energy initiatives on the Council’s social media channels

• Did you know that the Inflation Reduction Act (#IRA) is the most significant climate investment in the US? In  AZ, $8.31 B is now fueling our clean energy economy, bolstering climate protection efforts. A brighter, sustainable future lies ahead! Let’s keep up the momentum.
• In AZ alone, the #IRA has spurred over $8.3B in private investments in the state, 12,720 #cleanenergy jobs, including $1.2B in investments by Tucson-area @ABF__INC & a $5.6B battery facility in Queen Creek, AZ, by @LGEnergyGroup according to @ClimatePower: https://bit.ly/3qz9rwy
• Native communities in #AZ suffer the most during this #ClimateCrisis. To combat this problem federal funds from the #IRA & #BIL will help fund Native-led climate-resilient infrastructure projects. Learn more 👉 https://bit.ly/3Dd0Nqd
• Arizona is one of the top states for new clean energy jobs AND project investments in Hispanic communities, with over 12,000 jobs and $8.25B in investments, all thanks to the #InflationReductionAct. Learn more @ClimatePower 👉bit.ly/3WknlOC
• Incentives from the #InflationReductionAct are enabling #Arizona to strengthen its solar industry. Currently, the state is home to 368 solar companies and almost 3k jobs. Learn more about the state’s #CleanEnergy sector 👉https://bit.ly/3P8gqXl

While this summer has been productive, there is still more work to be done. The Council plans to continue working with its member community and the larger Arizona technology ecosystem to make sure the word is spread about the historic federal investments at our disposal and the potential to leverage those funds to continue Arizona’s transformation into a clean energy leader.