Today's weather forecast for Phoenix - Sleet, freezing rain, and snow

In other breaking news, I'm about to say something complimentary about an Arizona Republican.

From AP, via the San Jose Mercury News -

PHOENIX—Federal designation of swaths of Arizona and Southern California as a critical electric transmission corridor could open the door for a California utility to build a major cross-desert power line that Arizona has rejected, a state regulator said Tuesday.

"This is a step in that direction," said Kris Mayes, an Arizona Corporation Commission member.

{snip}

Saying the project would benefit California at Arizona's expense, the Arizona Corporation Commission in May denied Southern California Edison's application to build a 200-mile line between the Phoenix area and Palm Springs, Calif.

{snip}

Mayes said the Energy Department's designation of the corridor was a "a backdoor attempt to subvert our decision" and that there wasn't evidence to support the designation because Arizona previously approved numerous other projects.

Wow! An Arizona Republican, elected to statewide office, who is actually interested in looking out for Arizona's interests!!

Could this be a burgeoning heresy in the party of Jon Kyl (R-Big Pharma) and John McCain (R-Self)?

More importantly, could it be the start of a trend?

Could it be that the Republicans, seeing the looming electoral disaster coming in 2008 (and for perhaps the next generation or two!), have come to understand the key to keeping office once elected is to take seriously their oaths of office?

Could it be that the Republicans, attempting to stave off electoral irrelevance, are going to try to govern *responsibly* instead of *ideologically*?

Nah - Commissioner Mayes is the exception to the rule; the Republicans hate her.

From an August post in the Repub blog AZ Political Heat regarding potential Republican candidates for Rick Renzi's (R-Mantech) CD1 seat in Congress - "Kris Mayes can be dismissed quickly; no one takes her seriously, as a friend of Napolitano's who doesn't even pretend to be Republican other than the party registration, she could never make it out of a Republican primary..."


A post from blogger ADemLament concerning the ACC decision in May is here; I would have linked to the AZ Rep article on the decision, but it has been pulled down from their website.

AZ Corporation Commission press release on the May decision is here.

Back to my normal Republican-bashing during my next post.

That post will be about Bush's veto of SCHIP.

Grrrrrr.......

Later!