Joshua Polacheck is one of three Democrats running for the Arizona Corporation Commission.
Polacheck says the ACC has lost its way. After years of domination by Republican commissioners, he says the constitutionally created body is blind to the day to day impacts its decisions have on Arizona ratepayers and has forgotten its constitutional mandate to protect Arizonans from monopolies and corporate greed.
Polacheck says there is no shame in not knowing much about the ACC. He admits he didn’t spend much time thinking about the agency outside of media covered rate cases until recently. But he says the race for the three open seats on the ACC make this election one of the most consequential for the future of the agency, the environment, and Arizonans.
"There's no shame in having to educate yourself on this, but it is one of the most powerful bodies that we hear so little about in our state." Joshua Polacheck
Polacheck would like to see more transparency from the ACCC, and a commitment to a long-term vision for Arizona’s energy future. He says the current ACC is picking winners and losers for how the state gets its power, leaning into the dirtier more expensive production methods versus allowing the free market to determine what is economically viable. In particular, he says the ACC has made the state dependent on out of state or “global” fossil fuel generators. He says that pads the pocket of out of state investors with money from the pockets of Arizona ratepayers.
Polacheck cites Florida, Wyoming and Nevada as states that have had a broader energy independence strategy where he says rates have actually gone down.
"I've been really disappointed just at the political decision by the current Corporation Commission to really be focusing on very short-term issues, especially around rate cases, and not to be looking at their broader range of constitutional responsibilities." Joshua Polacheck
Polacheck is also concerned about the hundreds of small water utilities in Arizona. He worries that out of state companies will come in and start to consolidate services and then turn to the ACC to be reimbursed for their spending, continuing a trend of trapping rate payers who have little choice in who to get their water from.
Polacheck touts that the three Democrats in the race have been endorsed by state unions and suggests if voters are unhappy with how the Republican dominated ACC has acted in recent years, they have a choice that will lead to a change in how the ACC conducts its business in the future.
