As chief lobbyist of the National Mining Association, it falls on Hal Quinn, the group’s president and CEO, to promote his industry. That means defending coal mines and, ultimately, America’s reliance on the fuel source to power homes and businesses.

Palo Verde is one place where no one can afford to make mistakes. “Put these on,” the security officer, whose bullet magazines protruded and glistened against his black uniform, told me.

Stung by their sudden defeat at the Arizona Corporation Commission, proponents of electricity deregulation have gone back to the drawing board to map out their next move.

Statewide political warfare is usually reserved for even-numbered years, targets millions of Arizona voters and follows well-defined partisan boundaries. But the fight over solar energy in Arizona has broken all those maxims this year.

The old adage — “If it doesn’t kill you, it will make you stronger” — generally applies to biological organisms. But it could also apply to the financial system in Arizona, which has had 14 bank failures since 2009.

In this Aug. 2 interview, Mark Schiavoni, APS vice president for operations, argued that Arizona’s regulated model has worked for more than a century and there is no reason to plunge into the unfamiliar waters of competition. APS spokesman Jim McDonald also sat in for the chat with Arizona Capitol Times reporter Luige del Puerto.

Arizonans find lots to criticize amidst a few glimmers of praise

A huge rise in deportations. Regulatory overreach. Borderlands decimated by off-road vehicles. Operation Fast and Furious. More than four years after Barack Obama became president, liberals and conservatives alike have lots to criticize about what has happened in Arizona during his presidency.

With the unpredictable dynamics in the Legislature this year — a fractured Republican caucus tearing at each other, while the newly- empowered minority party focused mostly on one issue — some major lobbying groups at the Capitol had trouble getting their legislation through.

The Arizona Department of Transportation says it will be working with $350 million less as it maps out construction projects for the next five years.

The Navajo Nation has reached an agreement in extending a lease for a coal-power plant that would give the tribe a substantial boost in annual payments.