(POL) One thing Dana Murphy said she is thankful for is that God made her an energetic person.

Although she has been in the office less than a year and a half, Murphy has traveled more than 19,000 miles, mostly at her own expense, and attended hundreds of meetings in her effort to bring the job of the Corporation Commission to Oklahomans.

Murphy has a simple explanation of why she's willing to put in long hours on a busy schedule to do all this.

"I promised I would take the commission out to the communities and bring more openness and transparency," she said.

Murphy's energy is also serving her well as she balances her job as a corporation commissioner and running a campaign for re-election in November. Although no one has announced an intention to oppose Murphy in the campaign, she said she has still been proceeding as if she will have an opponent.

"If someone decides to run, that's up to them," she said. "People can tell I'm running my campaign like I'll have an opponent. You have to have a plan to win or you won't."

Murphy will also continue her plans for the commission during her next term. She said the commission and the state of Oklahoma will face multiple challenges in the near future.

Some of those challenges include continuing the work of the commission while facing a difficult budget situation. The commission has already had seven furlough days this fiscal year and will likely have an eighth furlough day before the end of the month.

Although commissioners are not allowed by Oklahoma law to take cuts in their pay, Murphy and Corporation Commissioner Bob Anthony both donated part of their own pay to Governor Brad Henry and requested it be redirected back to the commission to help match wage losses by furloughed employees.

State law prohibits commissioners to make gifts to their agencies without going through the governor.

The furlough days and reductions in staff will make it difficult to continue all the goals of the commission. Murphy said she plans on continuing to help with modernizing the agency and placing more case files and rules online, as well as working on local regulations that are more tailored to the specific area than broad, one-size-fits-all federal regulations, she said.

In addition, she sees multiple other challenges for Oklahoma . Many utilities are dealing with aging infrastructures, she said, which is one thing the commission will be dealing with in the future. She also expects to see tighter regulation of all drilling as a result of the current oil leak that resulted from an explosion while drilling in the Gulf of Mexico .

Other issues Murphy plans on focusing on range from keeping up with technology to protecting Oklahoma 's roads and highways with from overweight trucks that can cost the state millions in damage to road surfaces.

"I see a lot of work out there, but I see a lot of opportunities out there," Murphy said.

Murphy said it may also be challenging to work with a new set of people because of the number of statewide offices that will be open seats in the elections. For a person who makes it a point to try to meet new agency officials that that she has never met before, however, dealing with unfamiliar people will probably come easily.

"Relationships with people are important, and it doesn't matter what party they're in," Murphy said, adding that she probably gets as many telephone calls from Democratic legislators as Republicans.

With all the work on the horizon, Murphy will probably continue to be grateful for all her energy. She said she has no intention on slowing down with the work she's currently doing.

"I'm just very passionate and energetic and enthusiastic about our state," she said. "I want our corporation commission to be one of the best agencies for responsiveness, efficiency and professionalism. I'm probably going at a faster pace than I did when I started because there are just so many issues."