Local ballot measures in Arizona, California, Idaho, Oregon and Wisconsin
Read the Tuesday Count!
Kentucky Public Service Commission
| Kentucky Public Service Commission | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Office Type: | Non-partisan |
| Office website: | Official Link |
| Total Seats: | 3 |
| Term limits: | None |
| Structure | |
| Length of term: | 4 years |
| Authority: | Kentucky Revised Statutes 278.040 |
| Leadership: | David Armstrong |
| Selection Method: | Appointed by the governor |
| Other Kentucky Executive Offices | |
| Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditor • Commissioner of Education • Agriculture Commissioner • Insurance Commissioner • Natural Resources Commissioner • Labor Cabinet Secretary • Public Service Commission | |
Contents |
Utilities under the commission's purview include investor-owned electric, natural gas, telecommunications, certain water and sewage utilities, electric cooperatives and telephone cooperatives, and water districts and associations. The PSC does not have authority over utilities subject to the control of cities, political subdivisions or those served by the Tennessee Valley Authority.[1]
Current officeholders
The current chairman is David Armstrong. James Gardner serves as Vice Chair and Linda K. Breathitt is commissioner.
Authority
The Public Service Commission is established in the Kentucky Revised Statutes.
Kentucky Revised Statutes 278.040:
| (1) The Public Service Commission shall regulate utilities and enforce the provisions of this chapter. The commission shall be a body corporate, with power to sue and be sued in its corporate name. |
Qualifications
The Kentucky Revised Statutes set out the following qualifications for commissioners:[2]
- Resident and qualified voter of the state
- At least 25 years of age at the time of appointment
- Have resided in the state for at least three years prior to appointment
- Cannot hold any official relationship to any utility or own any stock or bonds thereof, or have any pecuniary interest therein
- Cannot be a member of any political party committee
Appointments
Public service commissioners are appointed to four year terms by the governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. The governor appoints one of the commissioners to act as chairman and one to act as vice chairman.[3]
Vacancies
In the event of a vacancy, the governor appoints a new commissioner to serve out the rest of the unexpired term.[3]
Duties
The Public Service Commission regulates "intrastate rates and services of investor-owned electric, natural gas, telephone, water and sewage utilities, customer-owned electric and telephone cooperatives, water districts and associations, and certain aspects of gas pipelines." The PSC's regulatory responsibilities include the following:[4]
- Rate increase or reduction
- Expansion or reduction of utility service boundaries
- Construction and operation of utility facilities
- Meter accuracy
- Operating conditions of a utility
- Management audits
- Valuation of utility property
- Natural gas and coal purchasing practices
- Issuance or assumption of securities by a utility
- Consumer complaints
- Compliance with service and safety regulations
Compensation
- See also: Compensation of state executive officers
In 2012, the Kentucky Public Service Commissioner were paid an estimated $127,260 according to the Council of State Governments.
Contact information
Kentucky Public Service Commission
P.O. Box 615
211 Sower Boulevard
Frankfort, Kentucky 40602-0615
Phone: (502) 564-3940
Fax: (502) 564-3460
Hotline: 1-800-772-4636
Email: psc.info@ky.gov (Public Information Officer)
See also
External links
References
- ↑ Kentucky Public Service Commission, " History," accessed December 21, 2012
- ↑ Kentucky Revised Statutes, " 278.060 Qualifications of commissioners," accessed December 21, 2012
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Kentucky Revised Statutes, " 278.060 Membership of Public Service Commission," accessed December 21, 2012
- ↑ Kentucky Public Service Commission, " About the Public Service Commission," accessed December 21, 2012
| |||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
