Attorneys for Arizona Public Service are deriding efforts by Bob Burns to have the state Supreme Court overturn a 3.3 percent rate hike just approved by the other utility regulators.

The attorney for the state's largest electric company told a trial judge Wednesday he has no authority to decide whether a utility regulator can grill her client's executives.

Bob Burns is headed back to court -- and not just in his bid to get financial disclosure records from the state's largest electric utility.

Commissioner Bob Burns, a Republican, has sought for nearly two years to disclose electioneering spending by Arizona Public Service or its parent company, Pinnacle West.

In documents filed late Friday, Andy Tobin wants the current commission to tell affected companies to immediately start putting the additional money they're collecting from customers into an interest-bearing account. In the interim, he said regulators will review the policy change enacted at the behest of Gary Pierce.

The head of the Arizona Corporation Commission says the indictment of a former member on bribery charges may make the case for appointing utility regulators instead of electing them.

A judge is refusing to force the state's largest electric company to turn over its records of political spending to a utility regulator, at least not yet.

Arizona Corporation Commissioner Andy Tobin wants to increase internet access in rural schools and libraries by adding to a small fee paid by customers on their phone bills.

Regulators today picked Tom Forese as chair of the Arizona Corporation Commission. Former gubernatorial staffer Ted Vogt also took over as executive director of the regulatory agency.

An Arizona utility regulator has suggested that nuclear energy should count as a renewable power source, allowing it to compete with solar and wind.