Attorney General Mayes Demands Immediate Federal Action on Power Issues at San Carlos Irrigation Project

PHOENIX - Attorney General Kris Mayes today sent a letter to Department of the Interior (DOI) Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland, Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Darryl LaCounte, and BIA Regional Director Jessie Durham, requesting immediate federal intervention to solve ongoing electric service reliability problems at the San Carlos Irrigation Project (SCIP). The letter describes recent service outages, including a significant disruption on August 13, 2024, which has placed severe risks on SCIP's 13,000 customers.

"The Department of the Interior and Bureau of Indian Affairs must take immediate action to address these service interruptions," said Attorney General Mayes. "Reliable electricity is critical, not just for comfort but for the health and safety of SCIP's customers during extreme summer heat. I am particularly concerned that SCIP's reliability issues are exposing its customers to avoidable, potentially deadly risk during the hottest months of the year."

The Attorney General's letter points out that SCIP has consistently failed in its mission to provide reliable and affordable electrical power. The letter notes frequent power outages and high electricity bills are unacceptable, especially since many SCIP customers are exposed to extreme heat. The letter also addresses concerns about SCIP's management and operations as the Bureau of Indian Affairs considers transferring SCIP's assets and responsibilities to other electric utilities.

Attorney General Mayes requested immediate actions, including funding for cooling centers and ice giveaways, bill credits to prevent service disconnections, and accelerated funding for reliability improvements.

The Attorney General expects a response from the Bureau of Indian Affairs within two weeks, detailing their planned actions to mitigate the ongoing reliability issues.