CEO’s Message – January 2025

Tackling New Opportunities in 2025

January heralds the beginning of a new year and new opportunities for the Grand Canyon State Electric Cooperative Association (GCSECA).

We have opportunities with the convening of the 57th session of the Arizona Legislature. The newly constituted Legislature features 22 new members, and Republicans stretched their margins in the House and Senate.

During this session, we are working with other interested stakeholders to advance a bill that would protect co-ops and other utilities against massive wildfire liability claims, as long as the utilities take measures to do all they can to prevent wildfires from happening.

We also have opportunities with the convening of the 119th Congress. There are 63 new House members and 12 new Senators taking office. Arizona features 2 new House members and 1 new Senator. Of course, the administration is also new-ish. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to set off in directions much different than the Biden Administration. 1 new direction involves energy policy. We’re looking forward to working with the Trump Administration and new congressional members to ease burdens in siting critical electrical infrastructure and to reconsider Draconian environmental measures pursued during the past 4 years.

We have opportunities with the advent of the newly fashioned Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC). This regulatory body has state constitutional authority to consider several co-op activities, such as ratemaking, infrastructure development, and financing applications. As self-governed utilities, co-ops naturally believe our locally elected boards are best suited to determine the course of their co-ops. We are looking forward to the continuation of the excellent work the previous ACC undertook to recognize the co-op difference. We encourage the new ACC to grant us as much flexibility as possible in these matters, given the constraints imposed by the state constitution.

We have opportunities to offer outstanding services to our Members. The GCSECA team always strives to provide the utmost value for the investment our Members make in the organization. In addition to our legislative and regulatory work mentioned above, we produce excellent training and professional development opportunities, communicate with clarity and passion, and host memorable events, such as our Annual Winter Meeting & Legislative Conference and the GCSECA Summer Meeting.

We have opportunities to make 2025 an outstanding year. We’re looking forward to the challenge.

Dave Lock
CEO