Results aren't quite public yet but we're hearing Clean Energy candidates flipped 2 seats, taking them from a 6-8 minority to an 8-6 CLEAN ENERGY MAJORITY!
Turns out when TPUSA tries to make a nonpartisan utility election about MAGA extremism, voters actually prefer clean energy and accountability!
I was wrong about early results coming last night, we’re still waiting. Hopefully this afternoon but definitely by tonight.
We'll have results tonight at 9am AZ time (currently PDT) and if it's as tight as we think it will be, especially in Seats 4, 6, and 8, we may not have final results tonight. www.srpnet.com/about/govern...
A tied board means no more rubber stamps on rollbacks of clean energy commitments, putting data center costs on families, or the anti-clean energy and climate action lobbying at the Legislature. It may mean structural reforms to how SRP conducts this election to improve participation. It's huge.
If we win in Seat 4 and Seat 6 while holding Seats 8, 12, and 14, we have a tied board.
Even if Sandra Kennedy and Casey Clowes win President and Vice President, the board will likely remain tied. That's because they currently hold At-Large seats 11 & 13, which they would have to vacate.
The current balance of the board is 8-6 in favor of the anti-clean energy, rubber stamp majority.
On the ballot today are the President, VP, and the 7 even-numbered Board seats. Affordability advocates are running for P/VP + 5 of those 7 seats. We currently hold Seat 8 and At-Large Seats 12 & 14.
Of course, this has also come with major money spent by Turning Point USA to smear clean energy and affordability advocates in order to elect their pro-data center, pro-expensive and polluting gas slate of candidates. www.lookoutnews.org/turning-poin...
This means that, historically, winning candidates just need to rack up the largest land owners' votes to protect SRP's rubber stamp majority.
But this year, efforts from the candidates, orgs like Arizonans for a Clean Economy, Chispa AZ, Solar United Neighbors, and more are changing things.
"technically" because this race is, to my knowledge, the LAST election in the country where 1 voter ≠ 1 vote. There are four At-Large seats where each voter gets one vote, but for the President, Vice President, and other 10 Board seats, voting is acreage-based. heatmap.news/energy/salt-...
SRP is one of AZ's big three electric utilities but unlike APS and TEP, it is not regulated by Arizona's PUC, the Corporation Commission. This is because it's structured as an agricultural district that elects its own board, making it technically a public utility.
Graphic with Sonoran desert background photo of saguaro cacti. Lots of text in white that reads: Vote for SRP's Clean and Affordable Future Check eligibility & request your ballot by March 27 at: bit.ly/srpballotrequest Election Day April 7, 2026 Sandra Kennedy for President Casey Clowes for Vice President Krista O'Brien for At-Large Seat 12 Kathy Mohr-Almeida for At-Large Seat 14 Ken Clark, Sara Travise, and John Travise for District 6 Melissa Harlan, Randy Miller, Regina Gutierrez, and Nicole Brown for District 8 With the Sierra Club Endorsed logo.
It's Salt River Project election day!
Huge thanks to the Clean Energy Team running to put families over data center profits and clean air over fossil fuel executives.
As @sierraclub.org Grand Canyon Chapter's Political Chair, we're proud to stand with these candidates!
@climateaf.bsky.social's @nickarnold.info was one of the first Tucsonans to take advantage of this Federal Clean Energy Program provision. Now, he might be one of the last.
subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2025...
Landscape photo on a white roof with Mt Lemmon in the distance. Roof shows workers removing a swamp cooler with a crane descending a new heat pump. Palm trees, mesquite trees around.
Just called Juan Ciscomani's office to thank him for supporting the #InflationReductionAct programs that just saved my $9000 on a new heat pump.
Will be telling all my neighbors about it, hopefully from an angle of "here's how you can benefit too" instead of "too bad our Congressman gutted it".
Kinda wild that so many Very Serious People take the need to build data centers for AI as a given when the main use case for AI so far seems to be degrading people’s ability to read, write, think critically and connect to other human beings
On attempt #4, HB2679 finally made it past House Committee of the Whole -- unfortunately, with only a Republican amendment that fails to address clean energy and ratepayer advocates' core concerns.
We'll try to amend or kill in the Senate, but we need
@katiehobbs.bsky.social's veto pen ready.
Arizona would benefit a lot from good securitization; we have aging coal and gas plants + unbelievable, insufficiently tapped solar potential. But our utilities have not acted in nearly good faith enough for the giveaway that HB2679 would be -- and Arizona families shouldn't have to foot the bill.
3. We agree with the Arizona Corporation Commission (a rare opportunity these days!) that they need a role in determining how freed up capital is spent. That's a major concern with sellable securitized assets -- shareholders cannot be allowed extra revenues by loopholing the ratemaking process.
We're asking for pretty direct changes to the bill:
1. Utilities cannot sell securitized assets. If a plant is deemed so overly expensive it's in the public interest to securitize it, it needs to be retired.
2. Unrecovered fuel costs need to be handled much more carefully, not basically unlimited.
Attempt #2 today of Arizona utilities trying to make Arizona ratepayers an experiment in what happens when you give monopoly utilities overly broad securitization authority.
Clean energy advocates want securitization! We just want it to be responsible and good for ratepayers -- HB2679 isn't that.
"Arizona is also a hub for electric vehicle manufacturing… and the elimination of IRA incentives could jeopardize around 64,000 jobs throughout the state."
Climate Cabinet Education’s AZ state director @nickarnold.info laying out how cutting clean energy funding will hurt Arizona families.
And if you want my slightly more realistic and cynical take on how this session is going to go, I think E.J. Montini, as usual, laid it out well here www.azcentral.com/story/opinio...
If you want to catch Opening Day Ceremony at 12pm MT (11am PT) and Gov. Hobbs' State of the State at 2pm MT (1pm PT), you can watch live at www.azleg.gov/liveproceedi...
Text reads: Priya Sundareshan, Arizona State Senator, District 18, A+ 2024 Climate Score. Graphic has off-white background, picture of Senator Sundareshan wearing glasses, small white pearl necklace, and black blazer over black shirt with Arizona Legislature pin over an orange silhouette of the state of Arizona. Climate Cabinet Action logo in bottom left corner.
Text reads: Oscar De Los Santos, Arizona State Representative, District 11, A+ 2024 Climate Score. Graphic has off-white background, picture of Rep. De Los Santos wearing glasses, pink tie, and light blue shirt over an orange silhouette of the state of Arizona. Climate Cabinet Action logo in bottom left corner.
With @climateaf.bsky.social champs Senator Priya Sundareshan and Rep. Oscar De Los Santos as leaders of their respective caucuses, I am confident that Democrats will stand strong against rollbacks on climate action and support for expensive fossil fuels.
With anti-climate majorities in charge, pro-climate leadership is going to be an uphill battle. I'm hoping to hear in Governor Hobbs' speech a discussion on how water and affordability crises ARE the climate crisis that we can solve through cleaner, less water-conscious, affordable energy.
Happy Opening Day of the 2025 Arizona Legislative Session!
@azhousedems.bsky.social & @azsenatedems.bsky.social just laid out water and affordability as part of their top priorities. In a few hours we'll hear from Governor @katiehobbs.bsky.social for her third State of the State.
Hey @bsky.app can we do something about these really racist images that come up when you type "Native American" into GIF search? because uh.... some of these are serious bullshit.
Yet another district being forced to discuss school closures because our AZ legislature would rather serve their grifting, privatizer donors than our communities and kids. This will keep happening and it can happen anywhere. Vouchers hurt kids and communities.
Wrote about how four years of “Fund the Police!” did zero for the Democrats except legitimize GOP talking points, depress Dem voter turnout, hand Trump a well-funded police state, and make the world a crueler, more violent place. An abject failure. theappeal.org/fund-the-pol...