On Tuesday, the Arizona Corporation Commission will forge ahead with a vote a rate hike request from Arizona Public Service. The majority of Corporation Commissioners have blocked attempts by Commissioner Bob Burns to examine campaign expenditures by the power company to commissioners prior to a vote on the rate increase.
The commissioners are expected to approve a hike in rates that could increase Arizona Public Service (APS) residential customers’ bills approximately $6 per month.
Commission chairman Tom Forese, who was a beneficiary of campaign contributions from APS claimed that the Commission must act on the rate increase request now in order to comply with state codes.
Last week, in an appearance on the James T. Harris radio show, Burns said that as a regulator, he has the “responsibility to oversee and make sure that the utility do not get into the habit of bad behavior.”
“If there is some behavior that appears to be out of line it is my responsibility to call them on it. I think that having a utility that is regulated being involved in the election of the regulator, who sets the amount of rates that people pay for utilities, can be a problem,” stated Burns. “Now the federal government, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it was legal to participate – to spend money – in the elections. But my point is, if that is the case, then they should report what they are spending and when they spend it. I think the Constitution of the state of Arizona gives me the authority as a single commissioner to examine their records and advise the public on what they are doing. They oppose that, claiming I don’t have that authority, and in my opinion they are trying to weaken the commissions regulatory authority over them.”
In August 2016, Burns filed subpoenas for the production of records and information relating to a range of expenditures from 2011 through 2016 by utility giant, Arizona Public Service Co (APS), and its parent company Pinnacle West Capital Corp. He sought information related “marketing and advertising expenditures, charitable donations, lobbying expenses, contributions to 501(c)(3) and (c)(4) nonprofits and political contributions.”