Arkansas General Assembly and Governor Finalize Long-Awaited Solar Ruling
LITTLE ROCK (November 23, 2020)– With the approval of the Arkansas General Assembly on November 20, the Arkansas Public Service Commission (PSC) finalized a long-awaited ruling today that retains the full retail credit for all residential and business customers with net-metered solar installations through the end of 2022. The ruling was issued by the PSC in June and approved by Governor Asa Hutchinson last month.
The ruling was the final order in the PSC’s multi-year docket to determine the future of customer-owned solar compensation. Audubon Arkansas has participated as an active stakeholder advising the PSC since the beginning of the docket in 2016, calling for market choice and fair treatment for Arkansans who wish to install solar at their homes and businesses.
“This is a big win for everyone who has worked for a clean future in Arkansas over the past several years,” said Gary Moody, director of state and local climate strategy at the National Audubon Society, and an Arkansas native. “Now that we’re over the finish line, the path is clear for Arkansas to position itself as a leader in solar energy.”
The rule will not only aid the post-pandemic economy in Arkansas by stimulating jobs, it will also benefit the environment by reducing harmful emissions and protecting the places that both wildlife and people need to survive. Last year, the National Audubon Society released a report that found that reducing emissions can slow the rise in global temperatures, and save a majority of North American bird species that would otherwise be vulnerable to extinction, including beloved species in Arkansas like the Red-headed Woodpecker, the Cerulean Warbler, and the Eastern Whip-poor-will.
“Investing in smart, responsibly sited clean energy benefits both birds and people,” said Moody. “Our own science shows that birds are telling us that we need to take action, and this ruling makes it easier for Arkansans to obtain affordable renewable energy for their own homes and businesses.”
In March of last year, the Arkansas State Legislature, with overwhelming, bipartisan support, passed the Solar Access Act of 2019 (Act 464). The Solar Access Act, crafted and supported by an Audubon-led coalition, established a gold standard for Arkansas solar energy by opening up the state’s market and providing more choices for consumers.
Media Contact:
Gary Moody, gmoody@audubon.org, 501-246-1113
Robyn Shepherd, robyn.shepherd@audubon.org
About Audubon
The National Audubon Society protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. Audubon works throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation. State programs, nature centers, chapters, and partners give Audubon an unparalleled wingspan that reaches millions of people each year to inform, inspire, and unite diverse communities in conservation action. A nonprofit conservation organization since 1905, Audubon believes in a world in which people and wildlife thrive. Learn more at www.audubon.org and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @audubonsociety.
About Audubon Arkansas: Audubon was established in 2000 as a state office of the National Audubon Society. The National Audubon Society protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. Audubon works throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation. State programs, nature centers, chapters, and partners give Audubon an unparalleled wingspan that reaches millions of people each year to inform, inspire, and unite diverse communities in conservation action. A nonprofit conservation organization since 1905, Audubon believes in a world in which people and wildlife thrive. Learn more at ar.audubon.org.