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Gary Pierce – Arizona Corporation Commission candidate

“The priority of the Corporation Commission has always been to keep the utility rates stable, balanced and low for all rate payers of Arizona. That is more important now than ever because of the economic downturn,” said Gary Pierce, candidate for Arizona Corporation Commission. “Secondly, and this was an issue even when I was at the legislature (Pierce served as an Arizona Majority Whip), we have to make it more efficient to register and open businesses. We have moved forward on efficiencies like computers but we have been slowed by the downturn. I want to address the electronic filing system for Corporations and LLC’s  and that will help us to move forward.’

‘And always we have to discuss our electric mix. I am a strong supporter for nuclear and we may not need that expanded for fifteen years, but that planning needs to start now.”

Pierce made the point “that solar and all renewables are good in the mix but won’t be adequate. Nuclear is clean, with clean air. The air needs to be not just visually clean but clean for breathing too. Nuclear can do that and it can be entirely “in state” so that we are not dependent on any other states.”

Clean, efficient, and produced within the state–Gary Pierce regards these as important in the Arizona energy mix.

“The Arizona Corporation Commission is infrastructure and when you get into securities, it is more judiciary. The Corporation Commission is an absolute natural fit for me, it is stuff I like doing and have always liked doing. I like both the judiciary and studying regulations because having been in business, we absolutely have to regulate monopolies and regulate for safety. You have to regulate pipelines for safety–that can’t go away.’

‘The Corporation Commission is important to streamlining of our process,” Pierce said. “We need to do our constitutional job well and if we do our job well so that our utilities are healthy and reasonably priced, we can help Arizona. When it comes to variable expenses for business, the highest is labor but second highest is power. Businesses look at what they will have to pay and is it reasonable. We can do our job to bring business and jobs to the state by making it reasonable.’

‘We need to look at the best deal for rate payers and see to Arizona’s energy future.”

Pierce believes that the U.S. Congress will not regulate carbon dioxide but that the Environmental Protection Agency may move forward. “If EPA does, it will impact rates dramatically. It will absolutely force Arizona into buying power elsewhere because we have coal plants that would have to be shut down.”

He said, “Right now, they (Environmental Protection Agency) are proposing to put a catalytic converter on the Navajo plant which will cost half a billion dollars and it is just to do visible pollution. We have proposed a fix that is one tenth the cost and it would take out the health damaging elements.’

‘If the EPA requires the expensive converter, it will shut that plant down. It will increase energy and water prices too, because that plant does so much in Northern Arizona. The costs will increase dramatically if they decide to tax the air we exhale.’

‘What the EPA really wants to do with the Navajo Generating Plant is close it down.”

Pierce added, “We are seeing the same thing in Four Corners Arizona where the EPA wants to close three of the five plants there. We are dangerously close to rates sky-rocketing because of President Obama’s energy policies.’

‘We have eight lawyers at the Corporation Commission, and we need to frankly sue the EPA on behalf of the Arizona rate-payer and drive the lawsuit right back to the U.S. Supreme Court. They need to see that carbon dioxide is not a pollutant. The EPA ruled that it was (a pollutant) awhile back, but now we have had Climate Gate and found that it is not robust science. It needs to be addressed again.’

‘If you live in Tucson, your rates will quadruple. If you depend on a coal mix, you will see your rates skyrocket and they just want to do that to transfer wealth out of Arizona. I am going to fight them over it,” said Arizona Corporation Commission candidate Pierce.

‘One thing for certain is that we are all in this together and if we are going to grow, we don’t need the Federal government taking aim at Arizona through our power generation. If they want that, they are in for a fight. I am there for the voters and I will take it to the Federal government.”

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

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

sedonaeye.com and Sedona Times Publishing  c2010 

(formerly Sedona Verde Valley Times Inc)

1 Comment

  1. Gail Bush says:

    I am a member of the Steering Commitee for the Green Valley and Sahauarita Tea Party. We have about 700 members and are planning a rally soon in our area. At that time, we would like to recommend candidates who we believe share our values. We also want to get our membership involved in assisting these candidates to get elected. Let me know what our group can do to help your effort. I will pass this along at the rally and ask our members to volunteer to help in your effort. Please get back to me as soon as possible so we can determine where we can help you.

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