AG Healey, Opponent of Retail Energy Choice, Elected As Mass. Governor; Other Election Notes -- EnergyChoiceMatters.com

AG Healey, Opponent of Retail Energy Choice, Elected As Mass. Governor; Other Election Notes

November 9, 2022

Email This Story
Copyright 2010-21 EnergyChoiceMatters.com
Reporting by Paul Ring • ring@energychoicematters.com

The following story is brought free of charge to readers by EC Infosystems, the exclusive EDI provider of EnergyChoiceMatters.com

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, D, has been elected as the governor of Massachusetts

Healey has led repeated efforts to pass legislation to ban individual retail electric choice for residential customers (see story here)

Elsewhere, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, D, has been re-elected, per the AP. While instituted under Hochul's predecessor, the Hochul administration has generally maintained the same policy toward ESCOs that began in 2016 with the PSC's "reset" order and its significant limitations on mass market service

In Arizona, with an estimated 67% of the vote in, all four of the balloted Corporation Commission candidates are within 100,000 votes of one another, with the two Republicans -- Kevin Thompson and Nick Myers -- each ahead of the nearest other candidate, current Commissioner Sandra Kennedy, D, by about 40,000 votes. There are two open seats on the Arizona Corporation Commission

During the debate over HB2101, Thompson and Myers said that they were not taking a stance on retail competition in Arizona, but, during the primary, both offered a defense against attacks on energy choice during a debate, when the Texas example was brought up. However, both have said that energy policy should be set by lawmakers, not ACC Commissioners. Still, local press reports have described both as in favor of retail competition

Myers serves as policy advisor to Commissioner Justin Olson, who did not seek re-election in order to pursue another office

While Arizona HB2101 removed certain legacy mandates to, and specific authorization for, the ACC concerning retail electric choice, the ACC retains broad plenary authority over electric utility policy in the state, given its constitutional charge

Email This Story

HOME