If you are a member of the media, please email ngarcia@azcc.gov or call (602) 542-0728.
If you are a member of the media, please email ngarcia@azcc.gov or call (602) 542-0728.
Phoenix, Ariz. — The Arizona Corporation Commission voted on 16 matters, including securities, telecommunications, utilities, water and ACC Rulemaking. Highlights from the meeting include:
Securities:
Utilities:
ACC:
Vora Wealth Management, PLLC et.al. (S-21327A-24-0227) – The Commission approved an Order to Cease and Desist, restitution and penalties against Dharmesh Virenda Vora and his company, Vora Wealth. This comes after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) found Vora had invested the majority of its 872 clients’ accounts in assets, without adequate disclosure to their clients, totaling approximately $124 million. Affected clients have lost about 80% of their invested principal. Vora was ordered to give up more than $1.1 million in illegal profits, plus more than $230,000 in prejudgment interest, and a civil monetary penalty to the SEC in the amount of $300,000. Under the SEC’s Order, the judgment funds will be distributed to affected investors. The ACC ordered Vora to pay $30,000 in administrative penalties. Vora’s investment advisor license application and D. Vora’s investment advisor representative license have been revoked by the ACC.
Inscription Canyon Water Company (W-21093A-26-0041) – The Commission voted to approve the utility’s financing application. Inscription is a member-owned non-profit located northwest of Prescott, Arizona, Yavapai County serving approximately 1,100 residential and 24 commercial customers, and 80 construction connections. The company’s infrastructure was installed more than 25 years ago. Inscription plans to finance $895,000 in long-term debt for five capital improvement projects, included replacing a well and the purchase of a backup generator.
Walden Meadows Community Co-op (WMCC) (W-02369A-25-0264) - The Commission approved a rate increase for WMCC, a non-profit cooperative providing potable water service to approximately 439 connections near the Town of Prescott Valley, Yavapai County. WMCC currently provides water hauling services to 41 active water delivery accounts because it does not have water mains on the roads where those customers reside. In 2020, the USDA approved a loan and a grant to WMCC for the extension of water mains to most customers; some customers will still need the water hauling service. Walden Meadows customers’ bills would increase from $38.53 to $58.41 for an increase of $19.88, or 51.59 percent. Thunderbird Meadows customers’ bill for a would increase from $46.18 to $59.91, an increase of $13.73, or 29.73 percent. The ACC’s Small Water Ombudsman Office assisted with the financing application.
Tucson Electric Power Company (TEP) (L-00000C-86-0000-00074 & L-00000C-010074) – The Commission approved an amendment to the Certificate of Environmental Compatibility for the proposed Springerville generating station to allow for the Conversion of Unit 4 from coal-fired to natural gas-fired boilers. Unit 4 is owned by SRP. Units 1, and 2, owned by TEP at SGS are already approved for the same conversion. Several people traveled from the Springerville area to Phoenix (more than 240 miles) to support the conversion. St. Johns’ mayor, Spence Udall, was among those who attended the Open Meeting, and thanked the Commission for its leadership in repurposing the former coal plant, saying the conversion will bring jobs, revenue, and economic stability to the local communities. The president of the Queen Creek Chamber of Commerce, Chris Clark, also provided public comment, saying although the city is hundreds of miles away from the generating station, Queen Creek’s economy depends on energy generation. Clark told the Commission, “All of it predicated on affordable, reliable energy. We need every electron on the grid that we can get our hands on. It’s crucial we get Springerville back on line, it can be cheaper than building a new gas plant, and faster. Affordable, reliable energy is the backbone of the economic driver in the East Valley.” SGS will continue to provide reliable baseload power to Arizona’s electric grid.
Tucson Electric Power Company (TEP) (L-00000C-26-0125-00261) - The Commission approved a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility for the Santa Rita Connection Project, which involves the construction of a 13-17 mile 138 kV transmission line to connect TEP's existing Sonoran Substation in Pima County to TEP's planned Santa Rita Substation in Santa Cruz County. A TEP residential customer spoke during the meeting, describing residents’ concerns about the proposed colocation of the new Santa Rita substation and the Toro switchyard which currently serves the Copper World mine. The proposed new substation and the existing infrastructure are adjacent to each other. Meghan Grabel, an attorney for TEP, told the Commission the colocation plan would be “less of an environmental impact… and second it really saves ratepayers money because rather than having to build one Santa Rita substation and you have a separate Toro switchyard, now you’re building one substation that could serve both purposes and TEP ratepayers only have to pay their prorate share of those costs.” The current transmission system in the area of Green Valley and Sahaurita is at its reliability threshold and an additional line was needed serve customers. The new line will not be used to serve the copper mine.
ACC-Electric Rules (RE-00000A-24-0025) - The Commission voted 4-0 to repeal the Electric Energy Efficiency Standards Rules (EEE Rules) – A.A.C. Title 14, Chapter 2, Article 24 during the July 8, 2026 Open Meeting. The Commission reiterated its findings that the rules created an unjust subsidy whereby affluent rate payers were getting subsidized by low-income rate payers through uniform surcharges. The Commission noted that the rules had served their purpose and the market had advanced to a point where subsidies and mandates were counterproductive. Current energy efficiency programs that have already been approved by the Commission will continue. Surcharges related to energy efficiency programs may be phased out on an individual basis, either during a future utility rate case, or by order of the Commission. “The repeal of the EEE Rules does not eliminate current Demand Side Management (DSM) and Energy Efficiency programs,” said Chair Nick Myers. “The EEE mandate basically handed a blank check to utilities because any time you mandate programs, the utilities will seek to financially recover those costs from ratepayers. Evaluating DSM and EE programs on a case-by-case basis is the more prudent approach, rather than imposing an arbitrary mandate that inevitably leads to subsidies and cost shifting.”