The Arizona 小红帽直播app of Commerce & Industry is endorsing incumbent Lea M谩rquez Peterson and candidates Rene Lopez and Rachel Walden for three seats on the five-member Arizona Corporation Commission, the state utility regulator.
鈥淎rizona needs utility regulators who understand the connection between access to safe, reliable, and affordable energy sources and our state鈥檚 continued economic competitiveness,鈥 Arizona 小红帽直播app Vice President of Government Affairs Courtney Coolidge said. 鈥淲e believe that Lea M谩rquez Peterson, Rene Lopez, and Rachel Walden will work hard to maintain Arizona鈥檚 reputation for competitive utility rates and modern energy infrastructure.鈥
The candidates
M谩rquez Peterson was appointed to the commission in 2019 and then elected to a full four-year term in 2020.
Rene Lopez is a former Chandler city councilmember first elected in 2014 and is a U.S. Navy veteran.
Rachel Walden is a member of the Mesa Public Schools Governing Board and previously worked in financial services.
There are three seats up for election this cycle, so M谩rquez Peterson, Lopez, and Walden will not have a contested primary and will advance to the general election.
Business community seeks reliability
Coolidge said the business community believes the makeup of the commission will play an important role in determining whether the state continues to be a leader in job attraction and economic growth.
鈥淏usinesses looking to invest in Arizona want assurances that they鈥檒l have reliable energy service and won鈥檛 face wild swings in rates,鈥 she said. 鈥淒uring triple-digit temperatures, businesses should have confidence that their operations won鈥檛 be interrupted and that their employees and customers won鈥檛 be negatively affected.鈥
A from commercial real estate research firm Newmark released earlier this year says that Phoenix is the top growth market for manufacturing thanks in part to the availability of 鈥渓ower-cost energy.鈥
Arizona is a growing hub for advanced manufacturing, including semiconductors, electric vehicles, and next-generation batteries for use in vehicles and other applications.
All of the above
Coolidge says the business community would encourage commissioners to embrace an all-of-the-above energy strategy and not shrink businesses鈥 access to certain types of energy sources.
鈥淲e know other states, for example, are severely limiting access to natural gas, but that just puts upward pressure on job creators鈥 overall costs. Arizona thrives because of the availability of electricity, natural gas, renewables, and nuclear power. We don鈥檛 want to lose that choice,鈥 she said.
The ACC
The commission sets rates that customers are charged by public service utilities. Commissioners reach their determinations based on thorough rate cases with input from commercial and residential ratepayers, other interested parties, and the utilities themselves.
The commission also oversees the regulation of railroads and pipeline systems, regulates securities, and handles certain business filings.
Members are elected to four-year terms and can be reelected. With three seats open this year, two seats will be on the ballot in 2026.
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