Joseph Hobbs

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle GiffordsTUCSON -- The Southern Arizona Solar Energy Development Conference, brought over 100 elected officials, industry leaders and public administrators to the Arizona Historical Society Monday, provided more than a comprehensive look at the state of solar energy development in southern Arizona. It was a public declaration of the strength of the solar movement among leading political figures, prefiguring a spate of potential battles to come between those who prioritize solar development and those who don’t.

Lawmakers and their election year opponents are debating the nation’s energy future in all 50 states and the nation’s capitol, with all agreeing that there is a looming crisis but with little consensus on solutions.

In southern Arizona, which experiences more sunshine than any other region in the nation, the political ramifications of solar development are serious. As expected, the race to fill three seats on the Arizona Corporation Commission, which oversees the state’s public utilities and is intimately involved in shaping Arizona’s energy policy, has and will continue to feature the question of renewable energy sources, solar chief among them.

L to R: John Allen, Rick Fowlkes, Keith Swapp, Joseph HobbsLast night, the seven Republican candidates for Arizona Corporation Commission gathered in Scottsdale to present their ideas on how they would operate if elected to the board that oversees Arizona's public utilities. During a rapid-fire series of questions from former state legislator and blogger, Greg Patterson, similarities - such as an across-the-board refutation that global warming is a threat - and differences emerged in experience, philosophy and goals. The conversation was sometimes suprising, sometimes lively, but above all, substantive.