Fill PSC Vacancy With Public Interest Candidate

Fill PSC Vacancy With Public Interest Candidate  Posted: April 27, 2005
April 27, 2005

Hon. Ernie Fletcher, Governor
Commonwealth of Kentucky
State Capitol Building
Frankfort, KY 40601

RE: Vacancy on Public Service Commission

Dear Governor Fletcher:

We, the undersigned representatives of low-income consumer, conservation, environmental protection, labor and other social and economic justice organizations, are writing to request that you appoint to the vacant position of Commissioner at the Kentucky Public Service Commission (PSC) an individual with a background knowledge of the environmental impacts of energy production and distribution, energy efficiency programs, and policies that will enhance affordability of energy services.

As you know, the generation, delivery and consumption of energy in the Commonwealth are undergoing dramatic changes and present our Commonwealth with significant challenges. Your comprehensive energy strategy, ?Kentucky’s Energy: Opportunities for the Future” aptly notes that we have benefited as a state from low-cost electricity yet have lagged behind in the efficiency with which we convert fuels and use energy.

No less daunting is the challenge to low- and fixed-income households of meeting increasing gas and electric utility bills. The affordability of housing, the rates of homelessness, the health and security of people who find themselves on the margins of the economy, are matters entwined with utility regulation, yet historically the PSC Commissioners have not had strong backgrounds in and familiarity with these issues.

We appreciate the recognition in your energy strategy that improvements in energy efficiency in government and other sectors of our economy can greatly benefit consumers and the environment. The PSC is uniquely positioned to implement policies that would encourage utility and consumer energy efficiency, such as the decoupling of a utility’s profits from the amount of energy it sells. Regulatory reforms developed in conjunction with the regulated utilities could yield positive effects on Kentucky’s energy use, on energy affordability, and on our economy.

We respectfully urge you to appoint an individual to the vacant position on the Public Service Commission who has a public interest background and who has familiarity and experience with energy efficiency programs and regulatory policies that could enhance the environment and the affordability of energy services for all Kentuckians. Thank you for your consideration of this matter.

Sincerely,

Ben Perry
Appalachia – Science in The Public Interest
Mount Vernon, Kentucky

Greg Howard, Director
Appalshop
Whitesburg, Kentucky

Dee Davis, President
Center for Rural Strategies
Whitesburg, Kentucky

Richard J. Mitchell, Board Representative
Central Kentucky Council for Peace and Justice
Lexington, Kentucky

David Coyte
Coalition for Advancement of Regional
Transportation
Louisville, Kentucky

Geoff Young
Bluegrass Group Sierra Club
Lexington, Kentucky

Betsy Bennett, Conservation Chair
Cumberland Chapter Sierra Club
Louisville, Kentucky

Heather Roe Mahoney, Co-Director
Democracy Resource Center
Lexington, Kentucky

Sr. Rose Marie Cummins
Dominican Earth Center
St. Catharine, Kentucky

Cathy Hinko, Program Director
Housing Alliance
Louisville, Kentucky

Sheila C. Schuster, Ph.D.
Kentuckians for Health Care Reform
Louisville, Kentucky

Janet Tucker, Chairperson
Kentuckians for the Commonwealth
London, Kentucky

Dr. Nancy J. Kemper, Executive Director
Rev. W. Chris Benham Skidmore, Associate Director
Kentucky Council of Churches
Lexington, Kentucky

Kentucky Economic Justice Alliance
Lexington, Kentucky

Jim Dailey
Kentucky Mental Health Coalition
Louisville, Kentucky

Tom FitzGerald, Director
Kentucky Resources Council, Inc.
Frankfort, Kentucky

Joshua Bills
Kentucky Solar Partnerships
Mount Vernon, Kentucky

Judith Petersen, Director
Kentucky Waterways Alliance, Inc.
Munfordville, Kentucky

Jeffrey A. Been, Executive Director
Legal Aid Society
Louisville, Kentucky

Jeff Segal, Representative
Legal Aid Workers Union
National Organization of Legal Services Workers
UAW Local 2320
Louisville, Kentucky

Jane Walsh, Director
Metropolitan Housing Coalition
Louisville, Kentucky

Keith Valade, Director
Metro Human Needs Alliance
Lexington, Kentucky

Tim Duncan
Rubbertown Emergency Action (REACT)
Louisville, Kentucky

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