Alabama Public Service Commission
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Current officeholder
The current commissioners are Lucy Baxley (President), Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh, and Terry Dunn. Baxley, a Democrat, was elected in 2008, while Republicans Cavanaugh and Dunn were elected in 2010.
Authority
The Alabama Public Service Commission was created by the Alabama Legislature in 1915 out of the Railroad Commission that was created in 1881. Between 1881-1915 the duties of the Commission were expanded to include regulating utilities that provided electricity, gas, water, and steam, leading the legislature to decide on the change. Since then it has been further expanded to include utility rates, motor transportation companies, air carriers, and natural gas transmission and distribution.[1]
The Public Service Commission's authority and duties and are established by Title 37 of the Code of Alabama.[2]
Section 37-1-1:
| A commission to be known as the Public Service Commission, consisting of a president and two associates who shall be competent persons and qualified electors of this state, is established. |
Qualifications
The only qualification established for members of the Public Service Commission is that the incumbent may not be an employee or have any "pecuniary interest," including stock ownership, in any utility.[3]
Code of Alabama, Section 37-1-6:
| No person owning any stock in any utility, or in the employment of any utility or pecuniarily interested in any utility, as defined in this title, shall be eligible to the office of public service commissioner. |
Elections
Presidents of the Public Service Commission are elected on the first Tuesday after the first Monday every four years during presidential election years (2004, 2008, 2012, etc.). Two associate commissioners are elected every four years during congressional midterm election years (2006, 2010, 2014, etc.).[4] Presidents assume office on the day after election.
Term limits
There are no term limits for the Public Service Commission.
Vacancies
Details of vacancy appointments are addressed in Section 37-1-3 of the Alabama Code.[5] If a vacancy occurs on the public service commission, the governor has the power to fill the unexpired term.
Duties
Commissioners supervise and regulate the state's electricity, gas, water, railroad, and telecommunications companies. Additionally, it supervises transportation companies operating toll bridges, ferries, or roads. The Commission's mission is "To ensure a regulatory balance between regulated companies and consumers in order to provide consumers with safe, adequate and reliable services at rates that are equitable and economical."[1]
Divisions
The Public Service Commission consists of four divisions: Energy, Telecommunications, Transportation, and Legal.
Energy Division
- The Energy Division "oversees the regulation of investor-owned electric, natural gas and water utilities under the Commission's regulatory authority. This responsibility includes monitoring rates and quality of service for 22 companies as well as enforcing safety rules for all natural gas and hazardous liquid pipeline systems in Alabama."[6] It consists of five sections: electricity, special projects, natural gas, gas pipeline safety, and water.
| Contact Energy Division | ||
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Telecommunications Division
- The Telecommunications Division holds limited jurisdiction over the regulation of telephone service providers in Alabama. It has two main sections: the Economic Compliance Section and the Service Compliance Section.[7]
| Contact Telecommunications Division | ||
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Transportation Division
- The Transportation Division regulates air, motor, and rail carriers. Its six areas include annual reports, auditing, insurance, railway safety, rates and services, and registration.[8]
| Contact Transportation Division | ||
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Legal Division
- The Legal Division is composed of the Chief Administrative Law Judge, Administrative Law Judges, and legal secretaries. They provide legal assistance to the Commissioners, staff, and the public.[9]
Compensation
In 2010, Alabama Public Service Commissioners were paid an estimated $96,609 according to the Council of State Governments.[10]
Former officeholders
Since 1881, Alabama has had 19 public service commission presidents.[11]
Click "show" for former officeholders.
| # | Name | Took office | Left office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walter L. Bragg | February 1881 | February 1885 | |
| 2 | Henry R. Shorter | February 1885 | February 1897 | |
| 3 | James Crook | February 1897 | February 1901 | |
| 4 | John V. Smith | March 1901 | March 1905 | |
| 5 | B.B. Comer | March 1905 | January 1907 | |
| 6 | Charles Henderson | January 1907 | January 1915 | |
| 7 | Samuel P. Kennedy | June 1915 | January 1923 | |
| 8 | A.G. Patterson | January 1923 | January 1927 | |
| 9 | Hugh White | January 1927 | January 1945 | |
| 10 | Gordon Persons | January 1945 | January 1951 | |
| 11 | C.C. (Jack) Owen | January 1951 | January 1965 | |
| 12 | Eugene (Bull) Conner | January 1965 | January 1973 | |
| 13 | Kenneth Hammond | January 1973 | December 1975 | |
| 14 | C.C. Whatley | December 1975 | January 1977 | |
| 15 | Juanita W. McDaniel | January 1977 | February 1980 | |
| 16 | William J. Samford, Jr. | February 1980 | January 1981 | |
| 17 | Billy Joe Camp | January 1981 | January 1983 | |
| 18 | Jim Sullivan | February 1983 | November 2008 | |
| 19 | Lucy Baxley | November 2008 | Present | Democratic |
Contact information
Physical address:
100 N. Union Street, Suite 800
Montgomery, AL 36104
Phone: 334-242-5207
Email: Lucy.Baxley@psc.alabama.gov
See also
External links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Alabama Public Service Commission, "Mission & History, retrieved April 24, 2011
- ↑ Code of Alabama, "Title 37 - Public Service Commission," retrieved April 24, 2011
- ↑ Code of Alabama, "Section 37-1-6," retrieved April 24, 2011
- ↑ Code of Alabama, "Section 37-1-3," accessed May 31, 2011.
- ↑ Code of Alabama, "Section 37-1-3," retrieved April 24, 2011
- ↑ Alabama Public Service Commission, "Energy Division," retrieved April 24, 2011
- ↑ Alabama Public Service Commission, "Telecommunications Division," retrieved April 24, 2011
- ↑ Alabama Public Service Commission, "Transportation Division," retrieved April 24, 2011
- ↑ Alabama Public Service Commission, "Legal Division," retrieved April 24, 2011
- ↑ The Council of State Governments,"The Book of States 2010 Table 4.11," retrieved April 23, 2011
- ↑ Alabama Public Service Commission, "Past Commissioners," retrieved April 24, 2011
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