Several lawyers and former commissioners are calling out Corp Comm chairwoman Bitter Smith for her ties to a cable industry trade group, and one attorney is considering filing a complaint with the AG to have her be removed from office because of conflict of interest, KJZZ’s Kristena Hansen reported today (Aug. 24).

Rural San Tan Valley area residents were left in a lurch late last month when a water utility shut off a standpipe they used to fill water tanks and hydrate their families, pets and homes.

Rep. Rick Gray, R-Sun City, is running for a seat on the Arizona Corporation Commission. Gray filed paperwork today to run for the office.

The Arizona Corporation Commission is obtaining software designed to help ensure the public has a chance from now on of getting access to text messages of state utility regulators.

The conventional wisdom is that the outcome of next year’s Corp Comm race is likely to hinge on who teams up with Bitter Smith and Burns, the two incumbents seeking re-election.

Less than two years after the Arizona Corporation Commission approved a small monthly surcharge on residential solar, the state’s largest utility is asking energy regulators to impose a 320-percent increase in the solar fee.

The Arizona Corporation Commission’s first regular meeting of 2015, complete with two new commissioners, breezed by in about 30 minutes with little discussion and all unanimous votes.

Some Arizonans, especially those in rural areas, face having their water bills dramatically increase when providers need to finance infrastructure improvements.

Races for the Arizona Corporation Commission typically get less attention than the body’s utility-regulating powers perhaps warrant, but many in the elections business say the details of the outcomes can be highly valuable.

A likely Republican sweep of the three open Corporation Commission seats means the commission that oversees the state’s utility industry probably will consist entirely of Republicans starting in January.

Ballots continue to be counted, and Democrats trail by significant margins but still hold out hope that the results will change.