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For years, Arizona's energy future has been shaped by two commissioners who repeatedly sided with utility executives, ESG agendas, and "net zero" resource plans, regardless of the impact on ratepayers. Kevin Thompson and Nick Myers have a long, well-documented record of enabling Arizona's slide into a California-style energy crisis.
This article outlines, in chronological order, the key decisions, missteps, and failures that define their time at the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC), with direct links to source material.
Even before joining the Commission, both Thompson and Myers aligned themselves with the political faction supporting aggressive renewable mandates disproportionately benefiting large utilities and ESG investors.
Source: Out of State Billionaire Pushing Renewable Mandate Initiative in Arizona
Arizona Public Service (APS) voluntarily committed to a 100% carbon-free mandate by 2050, a move loudly praised by progressive activists and the Sierra Club.
Sources:
Instead of defending ratepayers, the Commission repeatedly entertained proposals to hard-code renewable mandates into law, despite voters rejecting Prop 127 in 2018.
Sources:
Thompson and Myers positioned themselves as "free marketeers," but their actions consistently facilitated these mandates by refusing to challenge utility-crafted IRPs (Integrated Resource Plans).
Sponsored by Representative David Marshall and co-sponsored by Representative Ralph Heap, HB 2918 passed the House Natural Resources, Energy and Water Committee on a party-line vote to eliminate special property tax breaks for new large-scale renewable energy projects, saving Arizona taxpayers an estimated $179 million annually in foregone revenues while grandfathering existing projects to protect current ratepayers from any unfair increases.
Sponsored by Representative David Marshall and Representative Ralph Heap, HB 2331 passed the House Natural Resources, Energy and Water Committee to mandate that electric utilities ensure at least 85% of their generating capacity comes from reliable, dispatchable sources by 2030, prioritizing dependable power from domestic fuels like natural gas and nuclear while limiting reliance on intermittent renewables to keep electricity affordable and grid-stable for Arizona families.
While Marshall and Heap were advancing state-level reforms to end renewable subsidies and require reliable energy (HB2918, HB2331), Congress did the same at the federal level. The "Big Beautiful Bill" budget package significantly cut the IRA's solar and wind subsidies, and the results are already proving that energy freedom works.
What happened in Washington: A handful of energy-freedom advocates in the House and Senate fought to limit subsidy eligibility instead of allowing a long "phase-out" that would have funded new solar and wind projects well into the 2030s and 2040s. In the House, Reps. Chip Roy, Ralph Norman, Josh Brecheen, and Andrew Clyde withheld support on the Budget Committee and forced negotiations that limited subsidies to projects "placed in service" (operational) by 2028. They were later joined by Rep. Scott Perry and Sens. Mike Lee, Rick Scott, and Ron Johnson. A last-minute Senate change allowed projects "in construction" by July 4, 2026, a four-year window to reach "placed in service", but the core win held: starting July 5, 2026, virtually no new subsidy-collecting solar/wind projects can be initiated under the old rules.
Why it matters for Arizona:
The lesson: Any energy source that is genuinely cost-effective will thrive without subsidies. The path to affordable, reliable electricity isn't subsidies for preferred energy sources, it's the freedom to produce and invest in what actually works. A year ago, NERC was warning that more than half the country faced electricity shortfalls. Today, the market is responding to restored price signals by building reliable power at a pace we haven't seen in decades.
Marshall and Heap's state-level push to end renewable subsidies (HB2918) and require 85% reliable capacity (HB2331) is the same philosophy: stop paying for an inferior product, and let capital flow to power that runs when you need it. The politicians who cut solar and wind subsidies didn't just save taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars, they saved the grid. Arizona deserves commissioners who will do the same.
Source: https://alexepstein.substack.com/p/politicians-who-cut-solar-and-wind
Kevin Thompson and Nick Myers helped deliver:
Arizona cannot afford another decade of Commissioners who vote with the utilities instead of the public.
The path forward requires Commissioners willing to partner with the Trump Administration, push back against utility green mandates, and insist on affordable, reliable, abundant energy for Arizona ratepayers.
For years, Arizona’s energy future has been shaped by two commissioners who repeatedly sided with utility executives, ESG agendas, and “net zero” resource plans—regardless of the impact on ratepayers. Kevin Thompson and Nick Myers have a long, well-documented record of enabling Arizona’s slide into a California-style energy crisis.
This article outlines, in chronological order, the key decisions, missteps, and failures that define their time at the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC), with direct links to source material.
Even before joining the Commission, both Thompson and Myers aligned themselves with the political faction supporting aggressive renewable mandates disproportionately benefiting large utilities and ESG investors.
Source: Out of State Billionaire Pushing Renewable Mandate Initiative in Arizona
https://azfree.org/blog/2018/03/01/out-of-state-billionaire-pushing-renewable-mandate-initiative-in-arizona/
Arizona Public Service (APS) voluntarily committed to a 100% carbon-free mandate by 2050, a move loudly praised by progressive activists and the Sierra Club.
Sources:
APS + Tom Steyer: https://azfree.org/blog/2020/02/26/aps-joins-forces-with-tom-steyer-to-roll-out-arizona-green-new-deal/
Sierra Club announcement: https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2020/01/aps-voluntarily-commits-100-carbon-free-electricity-2050-45-renewables-2030
Instead of defending ratepayers, the Commission repeatedly entertained proposals to hard-code renewable mandates into law—despite voters rejecting Prop 127 in 2018.
Sources:
2020 push: https://azfree.org/blog/2020/07/31/arizona-corporation-commission-defies-will-of-the-voters-with-green-new-deal-proposal/
2021 continuation: https://azfree.org/blog/2021/07/16/arizona-corporation-commission-wont-give-up-on-its-green-new-deal-dream/
Thompson and Myers positioned themselves as “free marketeers,” but their actions consistently facilitated these mandates by refusing to challenge utility-crafted IRPs (Integrated Resource Plans).
Kevin Thompson voted for the 2021 Mesa Climate Plan, supporting Net Zero by 2050. Resolution No. 11698 passed unanimously on June 21, 2021.
Source: https://www.mesaaz.gov/Environment-Sustainability/Mesa-Climate-Action-Plan
The Commission pursued rules that would have locked in expensive renewable standards, overruling legislative authority.
Sources:
Legislators “too stupid”: https://azfree.org/blog/2021/01/20/backers-of-the-corp-comm-green-new-deal-think-that-legislators-are-too-stupid-to-handle-energy-policy/
Upcoming impacts: https://azfree.org/blog/2021/12/10/the-corporation-commissions-meeting-next-week-could-have-a-huge-impact-on-you/
Arizona’s utility executives received millions in performance bonuses tied directly to meeting ESG and net-zero metrics. The Commission majority—Thompson & Myers included—said and did nothing.
Independent analysis showed these commitments would double utility bills. Thompson and Myers chose not to intervene.
Despite warnings from experts, activists, and legislative staff, Thompson and Myers voted to approve:
Tens of thousands of megawatts of solar, wind, and batteries
The continued shutdown of coal plants
Resource plans that would trigger massive rate hikes
All without requiring an independent cost analysis.
Sources:
– Why the ACC should have rejected these IRPs:
https://azfree.org/blog/2023/12/07/corporation-commission-should-reject-utility-proposed-esg-net-zero-resource-plans/
– 2021 cost warnings they ignored:
https://azfree.org/blog/2021/08/24/cost-analysis-shows-az-green-new-deal-energy-mandates-will-cost-ratepayers-over-6-billion/
Result: Utilities immediately used these IRPs to justify procurement plans where 93% of new power generation was solar/wind/batteries.
Multiple independent studies proved the same thing:
The APS net-zero plan approved under Thompson/Myers will cost billions and lead to California-style blackouts.
Sources:
– Cost analysis of APS net-zero plan:
https://azfree.org/blog/2025/03/06/cost-analysis-shows-the-aps-plan-to-go-net-zero-would-cost-ratepayers-billions-and-lead-to-california-style-blackouts/
– Full APS green energy report:
https://azfree.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/APS-Green-Energy-Report-2025.pdf
President Trump specifically ordered the protection of U.S. coal plants—including Arizona’s Cholla plant.
APS shut it down anyway.
The Commission majority (including Thompson and Myers) offered no resistance.
Source:
Replacing Cholla with solar/batteries cost analysis:
https://azfree.org/blog/2025/06/12/replacing-coal-energy-from-cholla-with-solar-and-batteries-could-end-up-costing-ratepayers-billions/
APS seeks a 14% rate increase for 2026.
This comes after approving the IRPs that guaranteed billions in new renewable spending.
Source:
Energy Bills Fact Sheet:
https://azfree.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Energy-Bills-Fact-Sheet-2025.pdf
Why? Because the costs became impossible to hide.
Thompson and Myers did nothing to force APS to rescind the policy entirely.
“We’re all aware of the detrimental loss of electric capacity with the closure of Arizona coal plants, and in part because of ongoing EPA regulations, it is a day late and a dollar short when it comes to re-opening the Cholla plant,” said commission Vice Chair Nick Myers. “Trying to re-open Cholla at this point would result in significantly higher rates for customers.”
Republican activists… accused the all-GOP body of not following orders from Trump. Tyler Bowyer, an executive at Turning Point Action, wrote in a post on X that the commission was “working against the Trump Administration and pushing to close all Coal Plants in AZ.”
Source:
https://azcc.vote/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/aa519d7a-0588-45b5-997c-b863570a8f1d.pdf
By late 2025, Thompson and Myers joined a symbolic repeal of the REST rules—years after they allowed utilities to institutionalize ESG/net-zero mandates.
The repeal, as experts confirmed, does nothing to stop the Green New Scam already embedded in APS and TEP IRPs.
Sponsored by Representative David Marshall and co-sponsored by Representative Ralph Heap, HB 2918 passed the House Natural Resources, Energy and Water Committee on a party-line vote to eliminate special property tax breaks for new large-scale renewable energy projects, saving Arizona taxpayers an estimated $179 million annually in foregone revenues while grandfathering existing projects to protect current ratepayers from any unfair increases.
Sponsored by Representative David Marshall and Representative Ralph Heap, HB 2331 passed the House Natural Resources, Energy and Water Committee to mandate that electric utilities ensure at least 85% of their generating capacity comes from reliable, dispatchable sources by 2030, prioritizing dependable power from domestic fuels like natural gas and nuclear while limiting reliance on intermittent renewables to keep electricity affordable and grid-stable for Arizona families.
While Marshall and Heap were advancing state-level reforms to end renewable subsidies and require reliable energy (HB2918, HB2331), Congress did the same at the federal level. The “Big Beautiful Bill” budget package significantly cut the IRA’s solar and wind subsidies—and the results are already proving that energy freedom works.
What happened in Washington:
A handful of energy-freedom advocates in the House and Senate fought to limit subsidy eligibility instead of allowing a long “phase-out” that would have funded new solar and wind projects well into the 2030s and 2040s. In the House, Reps. Chip Roy, Ralph Norman, Josh Brecheen, and Andrew Clyde withheld support on the Budget Committee and forced negotiations that limited subsidies to projects “placed in service” (operational) by 2028. They were later joined by Rep. Scott Perry and Sens. Mike Lee, Rick Scott, and Ron Johnson. A last-minute Senate change allowed projects “in construction” by July 4, 2026, a four-year window to reach “placed in service”—but the core win held: starting July 5, 2026, virtually no new subsidy-collecting solar/wind projects can be initiated under the old rules.
Why it matters for Arizona:
The lesson:
Any energy source that is genuinely cost-effective will thrive without subsidies. The path to affordable, reliable electricity isn’t subsidies for preferred energy sources—it’s the freedom to produce and invest in what actually works. A year ago, NERC was warning that more than half the country faced electricity shortfalls. Today, the market is responding to restored price signals by building reliable power at a pace we haven’t seen in decades.
Marshall and Heap’s state-level push to end renewable subsidies (HB2918) and require 85% reliable capacity (HB2331) is the same philosophy: stop paying for an inferior product, and let capital flow to power that runs when you need it. The politicians who cut solar and wind subsidies didn’t just save taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars—they saved the grid. Arizona deserves commissioners who will do the same.
Kevin Thompson and Nick Myers helped deliver:
Higher energy bills
A fragile energy grid
California-style blackouts
Billions in unnecessary renewable spending
The abandonment of coal
The entrenchment of ESG policies inside Arizona utilities
Arizona cannot afford another decade of Commissioners who vote with the utilities instead of the public.
The path forward requires Commissioners willing to partner with the Trump Administration, push back against utility green mandates, and insist on affordable, reliable, abundant energy for Arizona ratepayers.
