A longtime solar energy advocate stepped down from his post at the Salt River Project, reopening questions about the future of one of Arizona's biggest utilities.
Nick Brown, 75, resigned from SRP's governing boards in late July to spend more time with his family in California, including a new infant grandchild.
"It's time for me to slow down," he told The Arizona Republic.
His departure has left local activists and stakeholders wondering what will become of his seat on the power board, an ordinarily sleepy forum that became a political lightning rod during this year's spring elections. Brown's resignation leaves seven members who ran as so-called "Clean Energy" candidates on the power board, and six members who are aligned with the old guard.
President Chris Dobson, who was endorsed by the incumbent slate, oversees the board.
The board has been narrowly divided since the April 7 elections, which pitted the slate of pro-renewable energy candidates against SRP's traditional leadership. The incumbent slate was supported by many in Arizona's business community and the high-profile conservative activism group Turning Point Action.
The Clean Energy candidates won a narrow majority on the power board and doubled their representation on the utility's advisory councils.
Brown, elected in 2016, was one of the first solar energy advocates to win election to the board. He was reelected to his at-large seat in 2020, and won a district seat in 2024.
A board vacancy with big implications
It's not yet clear who will succeed him. Filling the seat falls to the utility's advisory councils, which are dominated by traditional incumbents.
Brown served on the board of the two organizations that comprise SRP: One serving power customers, and the other serving water customers. Members are often elected to both.
The 30-member councils for each organization will select his replacement.
There will be informational discussions at the Aug. 3 board meeting and Aug. 4 council meeting to review the appointment process.
Michael O'Connor, SRP's associate general manager and chief legal executive, said vacancies are relatively rare on the two boards. While the councils are responsible for filling vacancies, O'Connor said the process to fill empty seats has varied over the years.
O'Connor said council members will typically nominate replacements, who will pitch themselves to the council at a special meeting. Council members then vote on the nominees.
Dobson and representatives for Turning Point did not return requests for comment. Barry Paceley, the vice president of the board, referred questions to SRP's media team.
Clean Energy majority on power board at stake
Sandy Bahr, director of the Grand Canyon chapter of the Sierra Club, said Brown’s 2016 victory was part of an early push to elect some pro-solar candidates on SRP’s boards. Previous attempts had fizzled, Bahr said, but the approval of a controversial solar fee and rate hike in 2015 increased momentum.
The Clean Energy crew ultimately won two at-large seats. It was "the first time anybody with a clean energy focus was elected to the board,” Bahr said.
Today, the future of Arizona's renewable energy market is tenuous, with pushback to solar and wind on both federal and state levels.
“There are a lot of pressures and a lot of impediments being erected for clean energy, solar and wind, and even energy efficiency,” Bahr said.
The gains made by Clean Energy candidates earlier this year may not mean an “overnight transition,” Bahr said, but the board and council members can ask additional questions. She said some of the newly elected officials are already asking SRP management to reevaluate the utility’s carbon goals.
Autumn Johnson, executive director of Arizona's solar energy industry association, said she hopes the balance of power on the board will remain unchanged.
"We hope that the council will uphold the will of the voters, who have, for the first time ever, elected a clean energy majority," she said. "We think they should put forward a candidate that's in line with the spirit and the work that Nick Brown himself endeavored to fulfill."
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Solar advocate leaves SRP board, putting clean energy majority at risk
