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Brenda Burns – Arizona Corporation Commission – Republican

“The Corporation Commission tends to be a little noticed entity and it is so incredibly important,” Republican candidate for Arizona Corporation Commission Brenda Burns said.

“I am convinced that the rates that are set and the policies that drive those rates have an impact on Arizonans for years to come.’

‘One of the things that I want to do is raise the visibility of the Commission, so that people understand its importance. The bottom line is the economy and jobs. We talk a lot about sustainable energy and that is a good thing. We need to talk about that, but we also need to focus on economic sustainability at all levels of government which is being overlooked at a time when that is so incredibly important.”

Candidate Burns explained that the Arizona Corporation Commission has a number of divisions and “how the Corporation Commission performs in each of those divisions impacts the quickness of our economy turnaround.”

There is a corporation division that candidate Burns wants to streamline and create efficiencies “so that people can get quick responses to questions and open businesses.” Another division, she explained, oversees the railroad and pipeline industry “and they are important to keep things safe. ”  Burns added, “We have a lot of retired people in the state and they are prime targets for corporate scams. We need to provide the tools for everyone to avoid getting into a bad situation. Those are some of the least looked-at divisions but they are all important.’

‘But the most important is the utilities division,” said Republican Corporation Commission candidate Burns. “It is very important that we have a competitive utility rate so that we can attract business. Texas is 11% lower than ours in some areas. Whether it is for business to grow and thrive and prosper, or for families to meet their bottom line needs, watching rates is important. We are making decisions that are important to everyday lives. Our decisions affect the cost of energy and that affects the cost of water, too. There is a big energy/water nexus; one needs the other to survive. Energy rates affect water rates and that affects everything we do (in Arizona).”

Burns continued, “The Federal Government, and in some ways the state, have proposed several types of cap and trade policy”  while also remarking that cap and trade “is essentially a huge tax that will be passed on to rate payers and consumers.’

‘In (President) Obama’s own words, that bill will make electricity rates sky rocket. As a nation that hurts our competitive ability globally. Similar policies at a state level would make us less competitive as a state. That move is the wrong way to go–it artificially inflates our energy rates. There are environmental needs but they can’t take precedence over the rate payer,” said Arizona Corporation Commission candidate Burns.

“When I was in the legislature,” she said, “I was rated a friend of the taxpayer, defender of small business and a spending watchdog. I worked on regulatory reform.  I tried to make things work more smoothly. Regulatory reform can go a long way in saving money for companies. The more we save, the lower the rates are. I want to take my friend of the taxpayer award that I got in the legislature, take it over to the Corporation Commission and be a friend of the rate payer.”

Burns does not believe the EPA should be regulating carbon dioxide as greenhouse gases. She indicated that “at some point the Corporation Commission might need to sue the EPA on behalf of Arizona, over that particular issue. Certainly the EPA does some good things but on that issue they are off point.”

Burns said that “it has been calculated that a Cap and Trade Bill will cost the average family of four $6800 per year by the year 2035, and it (a Cap and Trade bill) will also kill many jobs.’

‘We have a growing population (in Arizona)–we are going to grow probably to 10 or 20 million and we will need more energy. We need a balance of energy. We don’t want all our eggs in one basket. We need nuclear, coal, natural gas, and the renewable, but we need to keep an eye on cost.”

Arizona Corporation Commission candidate Brenda Burns continued, “I have a business background, fifteen years in the legislature, was House Majority Leader and Senate President. When in the legislature, it was very helpful having owned a business, being an army brat, and being a mom. It gave me a good background to know how our policies affect people and business. I am looking forward to working with the legislature. Right now there has been a lot of tug and pull and we can have a much better environment with all concerned coming together between the branches of government.’

‘I am running not just because I want to do something, I am running because I want to do the right thing. We need a better focus on the Constitution and if I keep my eyes on that, and my response to the people of Arizona, I’ll have a really good shot at doing the right thing.”

For more information go to http://www.brendaburns2010.com.

Article written byJoni Dahlstrom, sedonaeye.com Staff Writer  JoniD@eSedona.net

sedonaeye.com and Sedona Times Publishing Company LLC  c2010

(formerly Sedona Verde Valley Times Inc.)

1 Comment

  1. Gail Bush says:

    I am a member of the Steering Committee for the Green Valley/Shaurita Tea Party. We have about 700 members and we are going to have a rally to get them involved in helping candidates we feel share our goals. Let me know how we can help in your effort to get elected. Thank you, Gail Bush

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