|
The Louisiana Public Service Commission (LPSC) is an independent regulatory agency dedicated
to serving the public interest by assuring safe, reliable, and reasonably priced services for
the public utilities and motor carriers. The LPSC consists of five elected Commissioners
who serve overlapping terms of six years and a staff of 122, created by Article IV, Section 21
of the 1921 Constitution of the State of Louisiana. It succeeded the Railroad Commission
of Louisiana that was created by the 1898 Constitution. The overall goals of the Commission
are to ensure a regulatory balance that enables utilities to provide customers with safe, adequate
and reliable service, at rates that are just and reasonable, equitable and economically efficient,
and that allow utilities an opportunity to earn a fair rate of return on their investment.
The Commission provides a thorough but efficient regulatory process that is fair, open, encourages
public participation, and anticipates the demands of an evolving regulatory environment.
The Commission has jurisdiction over publicly owned utilities providing electric, water, waste water,
natural gas, and telecommunication services in addition to all the electric cooperatives in
Louisiana. The LPSC also regulates intrastate transportation services including passenger
carrier services, waste haulers, household goods carriers, non-consensual towing, intrastate pipelines
and state ship pilotage. The companies under the Commission’s jurisdiction must obtain approval
before instituting new rates, issuing stocks and bonds, transferring assets, and undertaking major
construction projects such as additional power plants, transmission lines, etc. Municipally
owned utilities are not under the jurisdiction of the Commission. LPSC implemented the
"Do Not Call" Program throughout Louisiana on January 1, 2002. In addition, the
Commission continues to take an active and cautious role in development of a competitive,
market-based approach to utility regulation whenever such an approach is in the public interest.
The Commission is required by the Louisiana Constitution to maintain its chief office at the site of
the State Capitol and is required by law to conduct monthly meetings. The Chief Executive Officer
of the Commission, Lawrence C. St. Blanc, is the Executive Secretary. He is appointed by and
responsible to the Commissioners for the Commission’s day-to-day operations. The Commission Staff
consists of administrative law judges, attorneys, auditors, economists, engineers, professional and
clerical support, and rate analysts. The Staff is organized into nine Divisions (see the
organizational chart for more information). All Divisions are headed by a Division Head who
reports directly to the Executive Secretary.
The LPSC has sole jurisdiction for utility regulation on the state level, but several agencies on the
federal level perform similar regulatory functions. These include the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC), and the Department of Energy. The LPSC works harmoniously with these agencies through
its Legal Department.
|
