Corporation Commission debate came with intense sparring over data centers

Data centers drove some tense back-and-forths during the Wednesday Arizona Corporation Commission debate hosted by the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission. Democrats Jonathon Hill and Clara Pratte accused Republican incumbent Kevin Thompson of not doing enough to stop these developments from raising water and energy bills.

Hill floated the idea of putting a pause on data center development because the commission still doesn’t understand enough about how they impact noise, heat, water and energy.

“They did not do their homework,” said Hill. “They did not see these things coming until we already had quite a few built, and the communities around them realized what they were doing. They were raising their electricity bills. They were raising their water bills.”

At the same time, Hill and Pratte said the commission should be offering more support and regulatory guidance to municipalities. Commissioner Thompson rebutted by saying this isn’t the job of the commission, making sure utility spending is prudent, is. He also said regulators nationwide have struggled with meeting this moment.

“I don’t think any commission in the U.S. was prepared for what hit, and I don’t think any of our previous commissions foresaw something like this on this magnitude, coming. This is equivalent to the industrial revolution,” Thompson said.

Thompson says the commission has been diligent in recent rate cases and line sightings about making sure large customers pay their share.

But neither Hill nor Pratte accepted that response.

Pratte said the commission could be doing more community outreach, such as a return to holding field hearings, in which the commissioners travel to rural areas rather than relying on rural constituents to come to Phoenix for ACC meetings.

“You have to meet people where they are. That could include field hearings, but it could also include showing up and sitting in a rate case hearing. I mean, you heard from Commissioner Thompson himself; he doesn’t attend rate hearings by and large. None of them do,” Pratte said.

Hill pinned out-of-control data center development, soaring APS profits and utility bills on his opponent, who he says is too closely affiliated with industry.

“I think you won't be able to trust a commission with someone like Kevin Thompson, who is on the payroll of a data center company. So, how can you trust someone like that to make impartial decisions in the best interest of the voters when he's literally involved with them financially?” Hill said.

According to the Energy and Policy Institute, Thompson, who runs Broadmore Consulting, admitted to having a data center as a client at a conference of public service commissioners in June. The Arizona Republic also reported on dealings between Thompson and prominent data center firm EdgeCore in 2025.