Election Recap: The new PSC leadership in Districts One and Five

The Louisiana Public Service Commission is a five-member elevated body tasked with regulating public utilities and common carriers in the state. Each commissioner represents one of Louisiana’s five districts and serves a staggered six year term.

The PSC oversees investor-owned utility companies including: electricity, natural gas, water, wastewater, towing, and some telecommunications services. 

Some of the PSC’s chief duties are reviewing utility rate increases, setting service standards, and ensuring companies provide safe, reliable and reasonably priced services. The Commission relies on hearings, expert testimony, and monthly public meetings to make these decisions.

• On accountability, Hilferty supports updating the outdated reliability standards that are used to grade utility companies. Doing so would make the utilities accountable for their current service. Hilferty supports requiring faster response times to power outages and has called for “full financial transparency.”
• On infrastructure, supports investing in storm-resilient infrastructure and smart grid technology.
• On utility rates, voted as a state representative to require utilities to reimburse ratepayers for utility overcharges. 
• On water oversight, introduced legislation to give the New Orleans City Council more control over the city’s Sewerage and Water Board, including more authority to set rates and fees. Hilferty says that Magnolia Water needs to be audited and should not be authorized to make any new acquisitions “for the time being.”

• On company accountability, says that ratepayers deserve transparency and accountability from utility companies.
• On data centers, says that a majority of Louisianans support the economic potential of data centers provided they do not affect other ratepayers or the environment. The PSC should hold data centers to long-term contracts to ensure that they cover their power costs. 
• On infrastructure, supports “upgrading or replacing aging and noncompliant water systems.” Says that utility companies must be accountable for building and maintaining a reliable power grid.
• On new power sources, it supports nuclear power over solar and wind.
• On new utility rates, “will make sound decisions on utility rates based on engineering and economics, not politics.” Sees excessive rate increases as “a challenge that utilities really need to…work to address.” Utilities must “manage their costs in the best way possible.” Would “minimize…over-regulation of our residents and businesses.” “The more we can reduce the number of regulatory hurdles” that the utilities “have to cross over,” that may allow them to reduce their costs.