As a Member of the Corporation Commission, Clara Pratte will Work to Protect Consumers

Saying it is “time for new leadership at the Corporation Commission,” small business and Tribal Nation Advocate Clara Pratte is seeking election to that regulatory body that is often considered Arizona’s fourth branch of government. 

Vowing to lower costs, protect senior citizens and consumers, promote clean energy sustainability, and create jobs of the future in the Grand Canyon State, Pratte, who grew up without utilities or running water until she was in middle school, also promises to bring greater transparency and accountability to the Commission. 

Ms. Pratte graciously took the time to interview with Blog for Arizona to discuss her candidacy for the Corporation Commission. 

The questions and her responses are below. 

Please tell the readers at least two reasons it is important to vote for members of the Corporation Commission. 

The Arizona Corporation Commission is probably one of the most important yet misunderstood or under-researched offices in Arizona state politics, and it has a direct impact on our everyday lives in terms of utility prices and utility regulations. The Corporation Commission does a lot of other things as well. Unfortunately, the commission in recent years has stopped being an advocate for Arizona ratepayers like it’s supposed to be, and instead seems to just do the utility companies’ bidding, including approving huge rate increases over and over again, more than ever before, which is really hurting families and seniors.  

Please tell the readers at least two reasons why they should vote for you over your opponents in the race for the Arizona Corporation Commission.

 “One of the main reasons I’m running is because I really believe in transparency.

With the way the current setup of the commission is, it’s all dominated by one party. There’s really no dissenting voice or dissenting opinion. So, it creates a very one-sided, not consumer-friendly body that has been Republican controlled since the 1960s, save for a blip in the 1980s.”

“One of the really important points about the commission is right now they are really approving a lot of extractive types of pieces that are coming before that body. So one of the commissioners has stated that, you know, he’s really interested in making sure that prices stay low by only focusing on things like oil and natural gas. But you don’t have to be an economist to know that taking out choices and options actually doesn’t lower prices. 

“Fairness is also important, making sure that rural Arizonans aren’t left behind and that we’re investing in things like high-speed broadband and protecting our precious water resources. It’s also important that big power users pay their fair share. Unfortunately, what we’ve seen in other states across the union is that rate payers are subsidizing the costs of data centers. So we have to be really mindful about how we do that here in the state as we rush to be players in that world. So, really focusing on transparency and affordability across our state is really important.” 

Please advise what at least two or three major issues are in the Corporation Commission race this cycle. Please explain.

“I think affordability is the number one issue right now. Millions of us across the country are feeling the pinch of inflation. And here in Arizona, we are actually eighth in the nation in terms of prices. We pay some of the highest prices in the country for energy. And some of the things that are at the forefront of my mind, getting into this race, is that Maricopa County is also the fastest-growing county in the United States. We’ve seen massive amounts of industry, as well as people moving into the state, which, on one hand, is a great thing for the state’s growth and economic growth.”

“On the other hand, we are also resource-constrained in terms of water and grid stability. These are things that we really have to keep in mind. A lot of the things that are at the forefront of many Arizonans’ minds, as well as should be at the forefront of the mind of the commissioners, is how do we do that sustainably? How do we make sure we don’t rob Peter to pay Paul, increase prices on our ratepayers, while trying to court industry that could also really detrimentally impact our environment, the desert space, as well as the northern space where I live up here in Flagstaff. It’s not built to accommodate the number of people and the sheer development that is happening in our state. Even though the Corporation Commission can’t police that to a certain extent, they can police how we mindfully grow and how we make sure we do it in a way that’s sustainable for ratepayers so that they’re not seeing these double-digit rate increases year after year.

Please describe your campaign’s strategy to reach all voters in all of Arizona’s 15 counties and drive up voter turnout for your race, including appealing to independent and McCain Republican voters.

“In this particular office, specifically, this shouldn’t be a partisan issue. There’s no such thing as liberal electricity or conservative electricity. It’s all electricity, and I think we can all agree that the current makeup of the commission isn’t serving Arizonans very well when people have to figure out how they’re going to pay for their utility bill, their water bill, as well as their prescription drugs. I mean, we have a lot of seniors living in our state who are on a fixed income. We have a lot of rural communities, and a lot of these folks feel like they haven’t been heard by the current commission. So my strategy is really to get out there and to meet as many people as possible. I don’t care what side of the aisle you’re on. I think we can all agree that we want sustainable growth in our state, and we want it done in a way that doesn’t shift the burden of the cost to our ratepayers. And my message is really clear. If we want industry to come into these spaces, it has to be that they’re very localized issues. I mean, a data center might be a great idea for one community but not great for another.”

“I think we have to do it in a way where the community themselves decide what their destiny is in this new world that we’re in. But also, we have to do it in a way that includes everybody at the table. Nobody’s left behind. In the year 2026 and beyond, we shouldn’t have to be worried about people not being able to run their air conditioning units in the summer. Heat-related deaths are on the rise. We can’t be flippant about it. We can’t be partisan about it. We have to be real about how this is affecting people’s lives, their actual lives. And we have to do it in a way where we care about people and not just about the corporate bottom line.”

Is there anything not covered in the first four questions that you would like the readers to know about your candidacy for the Arizona Corporation Commission? Please explain.

“I was born and raised in Arizona from the Navajo Nation up in the northern part of the state near Gallup, New Mexico, along the I-40. I grew up without running water or electricity. For me, it’s a very personal issue. And I know firsthand what it’s like to have to do without these really important and crucial things. I know what it’s like to haul water. I know what it’s like to have to have kerosene lanterns to light your way at night, flashlights, and all those things. And we still have lots of people in parts of our state who are using very expensive generators just to have electricity. We need to make sure our grid is resilient and built out, as an umpteenth generation Arizona before statehood, because I’m a tribal member, a member of the Navajo Nation, we’re going to be here regardless of what happens in the future, and we have to take care of the resources that we have. And we have to make sure we are doing it in a sustainable way where every Arizonan can have the basics of what they need. That includes a stable grid. I just feel that we haven’t done enough for grid stability. We haven’t done enough for transmission lines. We haven’t done enough to increase renewables and backups. And we need to be prepared for energy independence as a state and not be reliant on things external to the state as much as we can.”

Please click here to find out more about Clara Pratte and her candidacy for the Arizona Corporation Commission.