Regulation

Goldwater Institute attorney Carrie Ann Sitren was live on KTVK Channel 3 to explain two new lawsuits filed by the Goldwater Institute--one against the City of Tempe and one against the Arizona Board of Cosmetology.

Watch it here

Stroll into a car lot these days and you’re sure to get a warm reception, maybe free popcorn and soft drinks, and definitely plenty of attention. Car dealers are among the businesses hardest-hit by the recession.

So Chandler used-car dealer Tracy Tingue decided he needed to spice things up to attract attention and business. He bought and displayed eye-catching, but clothed, mannequins outside his lot holding “BIG SALE” signs. And it worked—customer visits and sales increased.

When the Arizona Board of Cosmetology told salon owner Cindy Vong she couldn't use small fish to eat the dead skin off of customers' feet--a popular Asian therapy--the Goldwater Institute decided to go to bat for her.

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Phoenix--Like countless enterprising American immigrants before her, Cindy Vong came up with an inspired business idea.

Ms. Vong, a licensed nail technician who owns LaVie Nail Salon in Gilbert, last year opened a second business called Spa Fish Therapy. The therapy, which is popular in many Asian countries and in other states, uses small Garra Rufa fish imported from China. The fish nibble on the customers’ feet, removing dead skin and providing a relaxing experience in a safe, sanitary environment. Clients paid $30 to plunge their feet into a clean tank filled with fish.

Arizona’s consumption of electrical power has been growing at about three times the rate of the United States’ as a whole. Unless we open the market to let more suppliers in, Arizonans will be at risk of electricity shortages, spiraling prices and miss out on the benefits of innovation in renewable energy spurred by competition for their business. That’s why the Goldwater Institute recommends restructuring Arizona’s electricity markets for competition.

Phoenix--Late yesterday the Goldwater Institute continued its legal challenge of the Arizona Corporation Commission's authority to impose renewable energy mandates on utility companies and surcharges on consumers to pay for those mandates.

Many aspects of environmental and energy policy divide the authors of this column. But we join together to urge the Arizona Corporation Commission not to squelch an innovative approach to solar energy that benefits private and public entities alike.

The Goldwater Institute's Nick Dranias appeared on KTVK Channel 3 to talk about how opening up the energy market to competition will drive costs down and help meet Arizona's growing energy needs by creating an incentive for innovative entrepreneurs.

Watch it here

Whenever I describe the Goldwater Institute's legal challenge to the Arizona Corporation Commission's renewable energy rules, a question often arises: why are you against renewable energy?
           
The answer is easy: we're not. Renewable energy fosters energy independence, and the government should not interfere with the rapid development of energy alternatives. Indeed, we recently argued in favor of allowing firms to facilitate installation of commercial solar panels without the Commission's regulatory oversight.