A professional, qualified PSC

e-mail this story discuss this issue in our forums

of an era where political connections

mattered most in appointments.

After nearly two years of debate the state Legislature has finally delivered on PSC reform, which will give consumers a greater voice in rate cases, set clear rules on communication and ensure that future members of the state's Public Service Commission are well-qualified to handle an increasingly technical and complicated job.

Traditionally, the only criteria that mattered in these legislatively elected posts was a relationship with the General Assembly. That usually meant prior service or a familial relationship with a serving lawmaker. Not coincidentally, that described most of the latest crop of candidates who have been on hold since public pressure forced the Legislature to seek reforms that emphasized qualifications over connections.

Lawmakers, in what House Speaker David Wilkins called the longest conference committee on record, deserve credit for crafting meaningful reforms that will prohibit close relatives of a lawmakers from running for a commission seat until the legislator is four years removed from office. It will also require all candidates to be college graduates. Education and expertise were major weaknesses among the field of candidates vying for PSC posts two years ago.

Requiring some knowledge of finance or law or experience in a field applicable to utilities regulation was critically needed. Such experience is vital given commissioners' immense responsibilities. They set the rates for regulated utilities, meaning they are responsible for determining how much virtually every South Carolinian pays for electric, gas and telephone service.

The reform package also includes the creation of the Office of Regulatory Staff, a division of the PSC whose sole duty is to represent consumers in rate cases. This should be an upgrade from the underfunded state Department of Consumer Affairs, an agency whose efforts to intervene on rate cases on behalf of consumers were often weakened by its scant resources.

The bill, which Gov. Mark Sanford signed into law last week, also sets clear rules for communication between PSC members and lawmakers. Because of the billions of dollars in business it regulates, utility companies spend generously to make its cases with the PSC. Rules on when utilities can speak with commissioners are not only needed, they need to be policed.

There is one weakness in this bill: the current PSC candidates won't have to comply with these reforms. That's a mistake. This state needs a professional commission starting with this election cycle. And there is no defensible reason to exempt the candidates who will face election by the Legislature next month.