Arizona Commission's Burns, Olson Will Begin Work On Preliminary Rules Package For Retail Electric Choice

In a memo concerning the Arizona Corporation Commission's review of retail electric choice, ACC Chair Bob Burns and Commissioner Justin Olson said that they would, "begin work on a preliminary rules package for this issue."

As previously reported by EnergyChoiceMatters.com, a majority of ACC Commissioners did not agree with a proposal from Burns and supported by Olson to have Staff prepare a draft rules package for full retail electric choice, to be docketed, for discussion, by January 10, 2020. Instead, the only consensus was that Staff should research electric choice in other states and report in January

In their memo, Burns and Olson wrote, "At our September 11, 2019 Commission Staff Meeting, we discussed the process for moving forward with rules regarding retail electric competition in Arizona. At that meeting, we could not reach consensus on exactly what that process should be, other than to have Commission Staff ('Staff') proceed with further research and workshops on the issue."

"Chairman Burns and Commissioner Olson (the 'Signatories' to this letter) believe the best way to proceed is to draft an initial/preliminary rules package from which the Commission could then work. The Signatories still believe that without at least a preliminary rules package from which to work (shoot at, modify, discuss, destroy, etc.), moving forward on this issue will be extremely difficult," Burns and Olson wrote

"The Signatories agree that the Staff workload at this time is immense. Therefore, in order to assist Staff (and the Commission) our two offices are going to begin work on a preliminary rules package for this issue. The Signatories hope to have a first draft available by early next year," Burns and Olson wrote

"In putting this draft together, the Signatories will take into consideration the work already completed to date on this issue and will also take into account any new information provided to the docket by interested parties and Staff's continuing research (either written or through workshops). The Signatories are also looking forward to information gathered at any workshops conducted by individual Commissioners as was discussed at the September nth Commission Staff Meeting," Burns and Olson wrote

"During the Signatories drafting of the rules package, we may require some technical assistance from Staff, to ensure that we are putting something together that is actually feasible. We hope that the assistance we require will be minimal, and not interfere with all the work Staff already has on its plate. The Signatories' ultimate goal is to draft a workable rules package and to accomplish this in a way that, in the end, alleviates some of Staff's workload instead of adding to it," Burns and Olson wrote

Docket RE-00000A-18-0405