FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Phoenix, Arizona — [April 8, 2026] — Clean energy candidates secured a decisive 8–6 majority on the Salt River Project (SRP) Board of Directors following a historic election that won 5 director seats in a single cycle, including 3 acreage-based seats.

The results reflect a clear mandate for solar, storage, and a more modern, affordable energy system in Arizona. Voters across SRP’s service territory rejected candidates aligned with Turning Point USA and its divisive approach, instead supporting candidates focused on practical energy solutions and long-term planning.

“This was a clear rejection of political extremism and a strong vote for solar and clean energy in Arizona,” said Autumn Johnson, Executive Director of AriSEIA. “Voters showed up for candidates who are focused on affordability, reliability, and actually getting projects built, not pushing empty partisan talking points.”

The scale of the outcome is unprecedented. Winning 5 seats in a single election, including 3 acreage positions, signals broad support across both residential and agricultural communities for a more balanced and forward-looking energy strategy.

“This win did not happen by accident,” Johnson said. “Clean energy candidates ran serious campaigns, did the work, and earned the trust of voters. At the same time, there is no question that voters overwhelmingly rejected the polarization and negativity associated with Turning Point USA.”

With a governing majority now in place, the SRP Board is positioned to expand cost-effective solar and storage, support grid reliability, and better align resource decisions with Arizona’s economic and energy realities.

“Arizona is a top solar state for a reason,” Johnson said. “This election result makes clear that SRP customers expect their utility to reflect that reality and move forward, not backward.”

About AriSEIA
The Arizona Solar Energy Industries Association (AriSEIA) is the state’s solar, storage, and electrification trade association, representing companies and organizations working to expand clean energy across Arizona.

Media Contact
Autumn Johnson
520-240-4757
[email protected]

Our recommendations regarding rate design focused on three areas.  First, we recommended the Company simplify its TOU rate offers as the current ones are overly complex and lack adoption among residential and small commercial customers.[1]  Second, we recommended the Commission direct TEP to shorten its peak TOU window to three hours and increase the peak to off-peak ratio in order to improve a customer’s ability to manage their peak load and provide a meaningful price signal.[2]  Finally, we recommended the Commission direct the Company to update its non-residential storage-targeted rates to better reflect how that market functions.[3]

[1] Lucas Direct at 5-7.
[2] Lucas Direct at 10-11.
[3] Lucas Direct at 36-42.

Arizona Corporation Commission
1200 West Washington Street
Phoenix, Arizona 85007
 
RE: Request to Reschedule Workshop, Docket No. RLS-00000A-23-0251
 
Dear Chairman and Commissioners,
 
The Arizona Solar Energy Industries Association (“AriSEIA”) respectfully requests that the Commission reschedule the upcoming workshop in this docket to a date following the anticipated briefing schedule in the Arizona Public Service Company (“APS”) rate case.
 
Only 6 organizations filed comments in this docket. Of those, at least half are active parties in the Tucson Electric Power Company (“TEP”) rate case, and all but 1 are parties in the APS rate case. The currently scheduled workshop date of May 12th conflicts directly with a hearing day in the TEP rate case and is set only 4 days prior to the start of the APS rate case.
 
These proceedings are among the most resource-intensive matters before the Commission and require significant preparation and participation from the same stakeholders engaged in this docket. Scheduling a workshop during this period creates unnecessary conflicts and limits the ability of parties to participate in a meaningful and productive manner. This strain is already evident. Commission Staff, the Residential Utility Consumer Office (“RUCO”), and the utilities have each requested extensions in the rate cases due to the overlap in schedules. Adding an additional deadline from this docket under these circumstances is unreasonable and risks limiting effective participation.
 
This docket has been pending for nearly 3 years. Given that timeline, it is unclear why the workshop must proceed on a schedule that overlaps with 2 major rate cases involving substantially the same parties. A brief delay would not prejudice the docket and would instead support more informed stakeholder engagement and a more robust record.
 
For these reasons, AriSEIA respectfully requests that the Commission reschedule the workshop to a date following the anticipated APS rate case briefing schedule.
 
Respectfully,
/s/ Autumn T. Johnson
Executive Director
AriSEIA 
(520) 240-4757
[email protected]
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