A former energy journalist and industry analyst says the Oklahoma Corporation Commission has reached a crisis point in public trust. He’s now running to fix it.
Russell Ray, an energy editor for the Tulsa World newspaper from 1999 to 2007, announced this week he’s entered the race for this year’s election, anchoring his campaign on a promise of complete transparency and a staunch refusal to accept a single cent from regulated utilities that hold sway over a portion of Oklahomans’ household budgets.
Ray characterizes the commission as a “retirement home for termed-out lawmakers who are beholden to the companies” they regulate.
“As lawmakers, they have sponsored and supported legislation on behalf of these companies,” Ray told The Oklahoman Thursday. “I think that’s a huge problem for consumers.”
Russell Ray, a former energy journalist, has entered the race for a seat on the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.
If elected, Ray, who also served as chairman of PowerGen International and executive editor of Power Engineering Magazine, said he aims to restore the balance between consumer and business interests. Right now, he believes the balance favors industry, and said politicians on the commission right now are playing politics with consumers’ electric bills.
“Consumers are paying more than their fair share of the cost of electricity, and the evidence of this is mounting,” Ray said, noting the ongoing case now before the state’s highest court challenging $250 million in rate increases and more than $1 billion of bond payments approved by the commission, stemming from Winter Storm Uri in 2021.
Ray is running for a seat on the commission bench for the second time. He joins current Rep. Brad Boles, R-Marlow, who has filed legislation for the 2026 session to ensure data centers pay their share of infrastructure costs as they multiply in the state, and Justin Hornback, who is making his third attempt at running for the commission after more than 20 years working as a pipeline welder and inspector, according to Ballotpedia.
More: Can Oklahoma really support resource-heavy data centers? The potential impact isn’t clear
Ray said the other candidates have strong skill sets, but the OCC needs someone who has experience evaluating energy markets, policy, trends and pricing.
Between his jobs in journalism and his role with PowerGen International, the world’s largest conference for power producers, he said he’s written and covered many power and energy issues. He added that he hates math, but loves numbers.
“The story is in the numbers, and we need someone who understands the numbers and can come up with a fair price to pass on to customers,” Ray said. “I don’t think the commission has been passing on a fair price to Oklahoma consumers because they don’t have the right skill set.”
Describing a lack of transparency
A state law took effect in late 2024 allowing Oklahoma Corporation Commissioners to meet in private without notifying the public, provided no official action is taken and discussion is limited to certain topics.
Ray said he has a problem with that as a former journalist.
More: What will the effect of the data center industry have on Oklahoma utility bills?
“As someone who respects our sunshine laws, there is no sunshine taking place at the commission — there’s no sunshine at all, and I want to change that,” Ray said. “It’s going to take high standards, but also a lot of compassion, kindness and understanding to help fix this broken state agency. I don’t blame the staff at the commission, but I do blame the politicians on the commission, and I think that’s where we need to start.”
Last year, Senate Bill 998 became law, permitting utilities to recover 90% of depreciation and financing costs before a plant is operational, a mechanism called Construction Work In Progress (CWIP). Consumer advocates have questioned what happens when a project funded through CWIP is cancelled or is never completed.
The commission lobbied against that legislation as it made its way through the legislature in the 2025 session. Public Service Company of Oklahoma, one of the largest utilities in the state, filed a request in September to bill customers for CWIP on projects that will generate more than a gigawatt of power.
Ray said there are steps the commission can take to ensure rate payers are fully refunded for sunk costs.
Opinion on data centers
Another issue with strong contention from many Oklahomans is the regulation of data centers and the energy costs incurred by them.
Like many states, Oklahoma in recent years has seen an influx of companies looking to set up data center operations here. Disputation on the subject often involves concerns about energy use and the potential for utility rate increases for residential payers.
Ray said he’s in favor of data centers in the state, but the commission needs to be careful about passing on the cost of their construction.
“Oklahoma should welcome new data centers, but ratepayers should not be forced to subsidize them,” Ray said. “Economic development must not come at the expense of families, farmers, and small businesses who already pay electric bills every month”
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma ex-journalist announces bid for Corporation Commission seat
