Email to FriendThe Chancey Five-Point Plan to Improve the Alabama Public Service Commission
1. Nuclear Power Expansion
Nuclear power is safe, reliable, and efficient. It’s good for business and good for consumers. Alabama needs a Public Service Commission President who will stand up to environmental extremists who twist facts and try to scare consumers into opposing more nuclear options for our state.
The TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) desires to build a new nuclear power station in Jackson County. This will bring $ billions of dollars into the area over the next several years and boost the supply of electricity available to our state—thereby serving new businesses moving in to take advantage of Alabama’s low taxes and high standard of living.
Although the PSC does not regulate the TVA, it functions as an advocate for all Alabama utility rate-payers. The President of the PSC can use his position to educate consumers about the benefits of nuclear power and stand up against the radical environmental lobby’s efforts to harm job growth and commonsense development in our state.
Nuclear power also contributes greatly towards weaning our state and nation away from foreign oil dependency, especially from the Middle East and Venezuela.
2. Clean Coal and other Fossil Fuels
God has blessed our state with an abundance of natural resources, including coal, oil and natural gas. It is essential that the PSC coordinate with the utility industry and Congress’ efforts to remove unreasonable environmental regulations that drive our utility bills up and prevent Alabama from becoming energy independent. There is no reason why power companies should rely on foreign oil and natural gas to fuel many of their power plants when safe domestic sources are available.
3. Hydro-electric Expansion
Alabama’s deep river system is one of the best in the country. Expanding hydro-electric options is a clean way to produce more energy, thereby reducing rates on all consumers while protecting the environment.
As with most other forms of power generation, the radical environmental lobby has thwarted efforts to expand hydro-electric production in Alabama. Recently, Alabama Power and others lost a lawsuit in federal court to remove a certain type of fish from the Endangered Species List.
The fish in question is genetically identical to other fish not on the endangered list. But this did not stop environmental extremists, who care more about the habitat of one type of fish than they do about the habitat for human beings.
The Public Service Commission President can use his office to educate consumers about issues like expanding hydro-electric options and work with Alabama’s congressional delegation to change the regulations preventing common-sense development and expansion of this and other forms of safe, clean power generation.
4. Supporting Economic Development
Many people don’t realize that the Public Service Commission plays an important role in economic development in Alabama. When large companies move into our state, they require enormous amounts of power. Of course, there is only so much power to go around in the state before power must be purchased from other locations in the country—thereby driving everyone’s costs up.
By promoting the development of greater electricity production in Alabama, we become a supplier to other states, not just a consumer. This drives utility rates down, making Alabama an even more attractive option for companies looking to relocate or expand their operations.
Rural Economic Development is very important in Alabama and the PSC can play a major role in promoting the expansion of Broadband Internet service into rural areas. With rising gas prices, more and more people are deciding to “telecommute” instead of drive. People living in rural areas typically drive much farther to work every day than urban residents (which is getting very expensive). Getting Broadband into the countryside will give our rural citizens more job options and keep rising energy costs from breaking the family budget.
As President of the Public Service Commission, I will organize a special summit of the telecommunications industry to explore all options available for bringing high-speed internet to every area of our state.
5. PSC Performance Review
Every employee gets an annual performance review. As President of the Public Service Commission, one of my goals is to examine PSC performance for the last twenty years and determine whether the policies developed, regulations enacted, and practices implemented have had a positive impact on Alabama consumers.
The PSC is required by law to provide a fair process in regulating utilities so that regulated companies make a good profit and consumers get a good rate for their services.
This delicate balance is optimized when we can see the “big picture” over the last several years. By analyzing this performance the Commission will be able to determine what changes, if any, ought be discussed to benefit the consumer and the overall quality of utility services in Alabama.
Conclusion
Implementation of this five-point plan will go a long way towards restoring consumer confidence in the Public Service Commission and creating an environment that’s profitable for the utility industry, but especially for the Alabama consumer.
