A driving force during my time on the PUC has been my desire to keep utility rates as low as possible for my fellow South Dakotans. I have been tenacious about analyzing each rate request that comes to the PUC. That involves digging into the smallest details of each case, analyzing the facts, and determining how the law applies to those facts. As a commissioner, I can’t “just say no” to a rate request. What I can do and am committed to doing is the thorough examination needed to reduce rate requests to only the amounts absolutely required by law. That dogged determination, along with my experience and knowledge, protects consumers and allows for our utility systems to remain reliable. The PUC has been successful! From my reelection day in 2016 through April of 2021, the composite electricity rate for the utilities regulated by the PUC increased 1.5% compared to general inflation which was 10.5%. Costs from the February 2021 Winter Storm Uri and heightened inflation gripping the entire economy in 2021 continue to put upward pressure on rates. I am committed to being your advocate in the arena as we work together to keep utility rates as low as possible.

Like many parts of rural America, South Dakota has a rural/rural divide when it comes to broadband internet access.  A person living on one side of a gravel road may have world class fiber-to-the-farm internet service.  Their neighbor on the other side of the road may have no internet service of any kind.  It’s all dependent on their local telephone company’s broadband buildout policy, their construction schedule and whether they are in an area served by a wireless provider.  In 21st Century America, that is unacceptable.  Broadband access is necessary for farmers and ranchers to do business, for students to complete homework assignments, for patients to access important healthcare information, and for individuals to connect to family and friends.  As chairman of my national association’s Broadband Expansion Task Force, I work to advocate for state and federal policy that encourages broadband build out in rural areas.  South Dakota has seen tremendous progress.  Federal Communication Commission data show that in the last five years 25 mbps broadband has increased from availability in 58% of South Dakota’s census blocks to 94% of census blocks.  But the job is not done.  I will continue to work with all of our telecommunication providers to expand broadband to the farthest reaches of each telephone exchange.  I am committed to working on and seeing this expansion happen for the benefit of rural South Dakotans!

The Public Utilities Commission functions as a judicial body when making its decisions.  Our decisions must be based on the facts presented in each case and the law that applies to those facts.  Decision-making based on political agendas or personal whims would be chaotic, unfair to the parties involved, and violate the rule of law which is a bedrock principle in our country.  All decisions of the PUC can be appealed to the court system.  I have an established track record of decisions being based on fact and law.  Those decisions have repeatedly been upheld by the judicial system when appealed.  You may never need to come into a PUC proceeding but no doubt you will be affected by many of the decisions we make.  I bring integrity, experience, and trust to that process.  You deserve no less.

Reliability is our first expectation from each of our utility providers.  When the switch is flipped the lights come on. When winter chill descends, our natural gas furnace provides heat. When the call needs to go through, our telephone connects reliably.  Sure, we also know that there will be instances where storms sweep through or a backhoe hits a line putting us out of service for a short but frustrating while.  As your PUC commissioner, I am focusing not only on reliability in these circumstances, but to threats which can have a longer term impact on our utility services.  In February 2021, Winter Storm Uri brought unprecedented cold to the central part of our country all the way from Canada to Mexico taking out much of the natural gas and wind generation capacity in the Great Plains.  While the devastation brought death and billions of dollars of damage to Texas, the ripple effects brought rolling blackouts to South Dakota for the first time ever.  It will take tenacious action from public utility commissioners working with every stakeholder in the utility space to prevent this type of scenario from repeating.  I am ready for that challenge!