PSC Chairman Ted Thomas to resign Oct. 1
Ted Thomas, chairman of the highly effective Arkansas Public Service Fee, has submitted his resignation to Gov. Asa Hutchinson. The previous Republican legislator and longtime member of the PSC has been in contentious debates with public utilities over their dealing with of photo voltaic vitality.
In his letter to the governor, Thomas mentioned the chance had been rewarding but it surely was time to maneuver on.
“After a lot thought and cautious consideration, I’ve determined to resign my place, efficient October 1, 2022. My work has been very rewarding, however the time is correct for me to take a special path,” he mentioned.
Thomas was reappointed to the PSC in Could 2021. His time period was to not expire till January 2027.
On the utility regulatory panel, Thomas earned a popularity for advancing various vitality. He typically acknowledged that renewable vitality was vital to the portfolios of conventional vitality corporations. He additionally warned {that a} lack of funding in renewable vitality, similar to photo voltaic and wind energy, could be problematic for these corporations and their ratepayers.
In February 2021, Thomas advised a panel of state lawmakers that Arkansas may very well be a pacesetter in renewable vitality tasks, particularly photo voltaic tasks.
“We’ve got one thing good going. … If we open this as much as markets, we win with innovation,” he mentioned.
