The ACC has been dabbling with Retail Access for 25 years.  That's not an exaggeration.  As RUCO Director I signed Retail Access Settlements with APS TEP and SRP in 1999.  We had been working on the issue since 1994.  The ACC unwound those agreements in response to the California Energy Crisis of the early 2000s.  

Since that time, the ACC and parties have made various attempts to restart the process.  The last major effort was abandoned in September of 2013.  

Since 2013, there have been a lot of changes.  Retail Access has a track record in quite a few states. Opponents and supporters both use the example of Texas and Nevada to support their cases.  There as also been a major shift in the media view of APS.  The media are now more likely to view consumers being captured by as opposed to protected by the utility.  

Currently there are two Commissioners--Burns and Olson--who are strong advocates for Retail Access.  Commissioner Kennedy is opposed while Commissioners Dunn and Marquez Peterson are open to discussion.  

In order to foster that discussion, the ACC staff posted a series of questions.  You can download Staff Competition Questions

Last week the Industrial Consumer group (AECC) filed its responses to the questions. Click to download the AECC responses  I think that they are informative and will give you a flavor for the issues.

Meanwhile, here is a link to the docket.  After you click the link you can open the "Documents" tab and see everything that has been filed. 

We are in the early stages of this iteration of the process. The ACC is planning to host a series of workshops.  The Alliance has participated in support of competition and we will do so in the future.  If you have any questions about this docket or our positions, please call me.