Billionaire Democratic mega-donor Tom Steyer criticized the state’s largest electric company and the biggest competitor of his clean energy ballot initiative Friday for using shady tactics to block a public vote of the renewable energy measure in November.

The Arizona Capitol Times team didn't know how to say no to a "Hamilton" tribute, and "licenses schmicenses" was a real topic of conversation.

States that generate large amounts of renewable energy, such as California with its abundant supply of solar power, have to “sell” power to neighboring states at negative prices, meaning California is effectively paying Arizona to take energy from their systems.

The state of Arizona – much like the rest of the nation – is at an energy crossroads. As demand for electricity grows, residents and policymakers are wrestling with questions that will define the future of the state’s energy grid, and will determine Arizona’s ability to keep its lights on and its economy vibrant in the years to come.

In the last year, three electric utilities have already stepped up to the plate seeking a rate increase from the Arizona Corporation Commission. Fortunately, two have struck out.

Picking up where he left off last year, Arizona Corporation Commissioner Bob Burns is pursuing rules on transparency and electioneering disclosure for his beleaguered regulatory body.

Two of the most important state agencies that scrutinize our state’s electric utility companies recently concluded that rates don’t need to rise after all for Arizona Public Service Company customers.

Arizona’s mental wrestling match with how to encourage fair solar policies seems to be coming to a conclusion. An end to the back-and-forth will be welcome but only if the Arizona Corporation Commission can navigate through the rhetoric and get to the economic facts that should be the basis for any good public policy decision.

Over the past several years, the electricity industry has experienced a number of fundamental changes. Our nation’s grid, which is the electricity infrastructure between the generation sources and consumers, is evolving in an attempt to keep up with these ongoing changes.

The newest state utility regulator is blasting Chairman Doug Little for sidelining a discussion of whether Arizona Public Service should be forced to use some of the cash it has from ratepayers to reduce peak energy demand through battery storage.