Annual demographics of U.S. public utility commissioners (2018) INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC UTILITIES MSU ipu.msu.edu beecher@msu.edu This research is provided by IPU-MSU. Please do not distribute by electronic or other means or cite without permission. Revised 6/4/18 MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Commissioner demographics Data on commissioners and their appointments were compiled from a directory published by the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners and commission and other websites } 2
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About the Commisisoners (as of March 2018) Data for 242 commissioners serving 60 commissions (4 vacancies); FERC, FCC, and 50 states with MA-2, NE-2, TX-2, DC, GU, PR-2, VI Female commissioners Male commissioners 77 165 Former commissioner Private Other public Former commission staff or ALJ Former elected official (excl. com. Elections) 20 34 67 85 96 Ph.D. or E.D. Attorneys (JD) Attorneys (JD) with Masters Masters degree Bachelors degree Assoc., some college, or not spec. CPA of CFA (included elsewhere) 10 8 36 3 10 59 81 Total formerly elected Former elected both state & local Former local elected officials Former state elected officials 8 18 59 85 Republicans (excl. vacancies) Democrats (excl. vacancies) Independents (excl. vacancies) Unknown (excl. vacancies) 73 39 3 127 0 29 58 87 116 145 174 203 232 } 4
Characteristics of commissioner appointments Elected by the public Selected by legislature Appointed by governor 2 12 46 Eight-year term (NC UC) Six-year term Five-year term Four-year term Three-year term (VI PSC) 1 1 7 18 33 Seven members Five members Three members One member (MA DTC) 1 5 24 30 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 Number of commissions } 5
Commissioner selection (as of March 2018) Data for 242 commissioners serving 60 commissions (4 vacancies); FERC, FCC, and 50 states with MA-2, NE-2, TX-2, DC, GU, PR-2, VI Appointed by governor Selected by legislature Elected by the public } 6
35 Commissioner tenure as of March 2018 Data for 242 commissioners serving 60 commissions (4 vacancies); FERC, FCC, and 50 states with MA-2, NE-2, TX-2, DC, GU, PR-2, VI Average tenure as of March 2018 = 5.3 years Median tenure as of March 2018 = 3.9 years 30 Years served 25 20 15 10 5 0 1 21 41 61 81 101 121 141 161 181 201 221 Individual commissioners } 7
Collective and average years of experience of sitting commissioners as of March 2018 80.0 70.0 60.0 Collective experience Average experience (excl. vacancies) 50.0 40.0 30.0 20.0 10.0 0.0 Guam PUC Nebraska PSC Georgia PSC South Carolina PSC Oklahoma CC North Carolina UC Delaware PSC Indiana URC Virginia State CC Louisiana PSC Alaska RC New Jersey BPU South Dakota PUC Connecticut PURA Tennessee RA Montana PSC Nebraska PRB FCC New Mexico PRC Pennsylvania PUC Florida PSC Missouri PSC Ohio PUC Alabama PSC DC PSC Minnesota PUC West Virginia PSC California PUC Mississippi PUC Kansas CC Utah PSC Arizona CC Idaho PUC New York PSC Arkansas PSC North Dakota PSC Wyoming PSC Wisconsin PSC Maryland PSC Hawaii PUC Texas RC FERC Washington UTC Oregon PUC Michigan PSC Maine PUC Iowa UB New Hampshire PUC Vermont PSB Illinois CC Rhode Island PUC Massachusetts DPU Texas PUC Colorado PUC Kentucky PSC Virgin Islands PSC Massachusetts DTC Nevada PUC } 8
Longest serving commissioners as of March 2018 First name Last name Commission Years served Filomena Cantoria Guam Public Utilities Commission 35.1 Frank Landis, Jr. Nebraska Public Service Commission 29.1 Bob Anthony Oklahoma Corporation Commission 29.1 David Ziegner Indiana Utility Regulatory commission 27.5 Hiram Martinez Lopez Puerto Rico Telecommunications Regulatory Board 27.3 Rod Johnson Nebraska Public Service Commission 25.1 Stan Wise* Georgia Public Service Commission 23.2 John Betkoski, III Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority 20.7 Joseph McDonald Guam Public Utilities Commission 19.9 Joann Conaway Delaware Public Service Commission 16.7 Doug Everett Georgia Public Service Commission 15.2 Foster Campbell Louisiana Public Service Commission 15.2 Gary Hanson South Dakota Public Utilities Commission 15.1 Mark Christie Virginia State Corporation Commission 14.1 G. O'Neal Hamilton South Carolina Public Service Commission 14.0 Elizabeth Fleming South Carolina Public Service Commission 14.0 John Howard South Carolina Public Service Commission 14.0 Lambert Boissiere, III Louisiana Public Service Commission 13.2 Dallas Winslow Delaware Public Service Commission 12.8 Joseph Fiordaliso New Jersey Board of Public Utilities 12.2 Judith Jagdmann Virginia State Corporation Commission 12.1 Jan Wilson Alaska Regulatory Commission 11.9 Jeffrey Johnson Guam Public Utilities Commission 11.8 Chuck Eaton Georgia Public Service Commission 11.2 Tim Schram Nebraska Public Service Commission 11.2 Edward Finley, Jr. North Carolina Utilities Commission 11.1 Michael Albert West Virginia Public Service Commission 11.1 Betty Ann Kane DC Public Service Commission 11.0 Brandon Presley Mississippi Public Utilities Commission 10.2 Robert Pickett Alaska Regulatory Commission 10.0 *Finished service in February. } 9
$180,000 Average commissioner salary in (Source: Ballotpedia, 2018) $160,000 $140,000 $120,000 $100,000 $80,000 $60,000 $40,000 $20,000 $0 Louisiana PSC New Mexico PRC West Virginia PSC Hawaii PUC Idaho PUC Minnesota PUC South Dakota PUC Kansas CC North Dakota PSC Montana PSC Alabama PSC Delaware PSC Nebraska PSC Missouri PSC New Hampshire PUC Oklahoma CC Georgia PSC Indiana Utility RC Kentucky PSC Utah PSC Colorado PUC Maine PUC Arkansas PSC Rhode Island PUC Wyoming PSC Iowa Utilities Board Nevada PUC New Jersey BPU Wisconsin PSC New York PSC Illinois CC Florida PSC Alaska RC Vermont PSB Washington UTC Ohio PUC Texas RC North Carolina UC Massachusetts DPU Michigan PSC California PUC Connecticut PURA Mississippi PUC Texas PUC Pennsylvania PUC Oregon PUC Maryland PSC Arizona CC Tennessee RA Virginia State CC South Carolina PSC } 10
Historical data 50 Tenure of commissioners in year of leaving office 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 1830 1850 1870 1890 1910 1930 1950 1970 1990 2010 } 11
Historical data 12 Average tenure of commissioners in years as of year leaving office with 10-year moving average 10 8 6 4 2 0 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020 } 12
Historical data Commissioners by gender at year of appointment 80 70 60 Females Males 50 40 30 20 10 0 1839 1846 1853 1860 1867 1874 1881 1888 1895 1902 1909 1916 1923 1930 1937 1944 1951 1958 1965 1972 1979 1986 1993 2000 2007 2014 Start year } 13
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