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Republicans Tom Forese and his teammate, Doug Little of Scottsdale, have cemented their lead in the ferocious four-way Republican battle for the Corporation Commission, the latest tally shows.

Arizona Public Service insists it is not involved in the dispute over the taxation of leased residential solar panels, but that’s not what a Republican legislative leader says.

Hundreds of solar energy advocates rallied to protect their interests before the Arizona Corporation Commission approved a compromise plan to reduce a key rooftop energy incentive. The debate provided a glimpse into an obscure but powerful group of regulators and raised questions about the future of energy in the state.

In a blow to Arizona Public Service, energy regulators agreed a few minutes ago to a compromise proposal charging users of solar rooftop panels with a fixed fee of 70 cents per kilowatt.

The new charge, which will begin next year, is only a fraction of what Arizona Public Service sought – which was to reduce savings from the solar incentive by roughly half.

Arizona’s energy regulators appear to be much closer to a compromise than either wholesale approval or rejection of a proposal to reduce by half a key rooftop solar panel incentive, based on proposals they submitted to resolve the issue.

Arizona’s energy regulators hunkered down this morning in front of an overflowing hearing room as users of solar rooftop panels urged them not to stifle the growth of residential solar in the state.

After several months of intense and expensive campaigning, Arizona utility regulators today begin formal hearings on a proposal by Arizona Public Service to drastically cut incentives to install rooftop solar panels.

All eyes on Arizona as formal energy hearings begin

At the heart of Arizona’s battle over solar net metering systems is whether utilities can balance solar energy with the cost of maintaining the grid that delivers electricity to all users.

Jerry Lewis, the Republican who rose to fame by defeating Russell Pearce two years ago, lost his Senate seat in 2012 partly because his crossover appeal to Latinos did not translate into votes for him, an analysis of the results of the November elections showed.

State representatives today passed a scaled-back bill that would allow religious-based employers to deny contraception coverage to their workers.

The amended bill, HB2625, passed the Arizona House by a vote of 36-21, and will need to go back to the Senate for final approval there. If approved there, it will be delivered to Gov. Jan Brewer for either a signature or a veto.