State Regulatory Relations
President Butler Slots Four Commissioners for NARUC Board
National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners President Frederick Butler of New Jersey appointed four new state commissioners to the Association's Board of Directors.
The Board of Directors performs critical oversight and sets official Association policy by approving resolutions passed by NARUC membership. Board members oversee NARUC's finances and help prepare programs and agendas for the Association's several meetings and conferences held each year.
Board members serve four-year terms and are appointed by the NARUC president. Members can be reappointed as well.
The new board members are:
- Commissioner David Armstrong of Kentucky;
- Commissioner Thomas B. Getz of New Hampshire;
- Commissioner Kevin D. Gunn of Missouri; and
- Commissioner Douglas R.M. Nazarian of Maryland.
"Commissioners Armstrong, Getz, Gunn and Nazarian are stepping up to serve NARUC at a critical time," said President Butler. "The board provides the leadership foundation for ensuring that the association is meeting our members needs, and I look forward to working with my colleagues at this level."
Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear appointed David L. Armstrong chairman of the Kentucky Public Service Commission On June 3, 2008. His term ends on June 30, 2011. Prior to joining the PSC, Chairman Armstrong was of counsel to the law firm Greenebaum Doll & McDonald in Louisville.
Chairman Armstrong has had a lengthy career in government, beginning as commonwealth's attorney for the 30th Judicial District from 1976 to 1983. He served as mayor of Louisville from 1999 to 2003, Jefferson County judge-executive from 1989 to 1999 and Kentucky attorney general from 1983 to 1988. Chairman Armstrong has also been a prosecutor and a juvenile court judge, and taught urban planning at the University of Louisville.
Chairman Armstrong is a member of the Louisville and Kentucky bar associations and the Society of Attorneys General Emeritus. He is admitted to the practice of law in Kentucky and before the Supreme Court of the United States.
Over the course of his career, Chairman Armstrong has served in many leadership positions, including as president of the National Council of County Executives, chairman of the Southern Conference of Attorneys General and president of the National District Attorneys of America. He was named Kentucky's Outstanding Mayor in 2002, and Louisville was twice named a Most Livable City in America during his tenure. The University of Louisville's Brandeis School of Law has named him an Outstanding Alumnus, and in 2008, he received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Hanover College.
Chairman Armstrong serves on many boards and civic groups. He is a trustee of the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law and the University of Kentucky School of Design. He is on the boards of the Filson Historical Society in Louisville, the Kentucky Opera Board, the Muhammad Ali Center and the Partners for Liveable Communities.
Chairman Armstrong attended Hanover College and holds a Bachelor of Science in history from Murray State University. He received his law degree from the University of Louisville.
Chairman Thomas B. Getz was appointed Oct. 10, 2001. His term ends June 30, 2013. Chairman Getz attended Holy Cross College (BA, Political Science, 1975); U.S. Army, Military Intelligence (1976-1979); Franklin Pierce Law Center (JD, 1982); and the University of New Hampshire (MPA, 2002).
His previous work experience includes assistant to the commission, New York Public Service Commission (1982-1985); intervenor attorney, New York Consumer Protection Board (1985); corporate counsel, Public Service Company of New Hampshire (1985-1993); and executive director, New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission (1996-2001).
Commissioner Kevin Gunn was appointed to the Missouri Public Service Commission on March 13, 2008, by Gov. Matt Blunt. He was confirmed by the Missouri State Senate on April 10 and sworn in on April 21, 2008.
Commissioner Gunn currently serves on the Committee on Energy Resources and the Environment, and the Committee on International Relations with the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC).
Prior to his appointment to the PSC, Commissioner Gunn was an attorney in private law practice in St. Louis with the law firm of Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal.
In 2000, Commissioner Gunn joined the Gephardt in Congress Committee, working on the congressional campaign of Democratic Leader Richard A. Gephardt. He continued working for the committee until 2003. During his tenure, Commissioner Gunn also worked on congressional redistricting in Missouri and was appointed by Gov. Bob Holden to serve on the Missouri Commission on Reapportionment for the representative districts.
From January 2003 until January 2005, Commissioner Gunn was chief of staff to Rep. Richard Gephardt, overseeing all congressional operations in Washington, D.C., and St. Louis. Upon Rep. Gephardt’s retirement in January 2005, Commissioner Gunn formed Gunn Communications LLC. In 2005, he left Gunn Communications LLC to begin work for several large St. Louis law firms, practicing primarily in the area of governmental affairs.
Commissioner Gunn received his Bachelor of Arts in political science from American University in 1992 and earned his Juris Doctor from St. Louis University School of Law in 1996. While in law school, he worked for the Missouri Attorney General’s office and interned for Federal District Judge George F. Gunn (no relation). After graduating from law school, Gunn joined a large St. Louis law firm specializing in general commercial litigation.
Commissioner Gunn currently serves as the vice chairman for the board of St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation in Kirkwood. He has also served on the Webster Groves City Council, the St. Louis County Fire Standards Commission, and the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association Public Policy Council.
Douglas R. M. Nazarian was appointed as chairman of the Maryland Public Service Commission by Gov. Martin O’Malley, effective Aug. 16, 2008 for a term ending June 2013. He also serves as the commission’s representative on the board of the Organization of PJM States, Inc. (OPSI) and as OPSI president for 2009.
Chairman Nazarian joined the commission in 2007 as general counsel from the law firm of Hogan & Hartson L.L.P., where he was a litigation partner with a diverse, national practice that included complex business-oriented litigation, government investigations and representations of public entities. Chairman Nazarian also was the partner in charge of Hogan & Hartson’s Baltimore pro bono practice and in 2007, received a Pro Bono Service Award from the Maryland Pro Bono Resource Center.
Chairman Nazarian earned a Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, from Yale College in 1988, a Juris Doctor, with honors, from the Duke University School of Law in 1991, and clerked for The Honorable James B. Loken of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit before entering private law practice.
Milwaukee Considers Privatization
According to a story that aired on a local public radio station (WUWM) on May 27, the City of Milwaukee is considering privatizing its water system. Options to be explored reportedly include contracting with a private company to operate the system, entering into a long-term lease, or selling the system altogether. The city’s comptroller is said to have estimated the market value of Milwaukee’s water system at $500 million.
Oklahoma Moves To Protect Water Resources
On May 21, the Oklahoma Legislature passed a bill (HB 1483) that requires Oklahoma’s Water Resources Board to ensure that in-state water needs are being met before authorizing sales to out-of-state entities. The legislation replaces an existing moratorium on out-of-state water sales that is scheduled to expire in November. The moratorium had been challenged in federal court as an unconstitutional restraint on interstate commerce by Dallas and Tarrant counties in Texas, which seek to import Oklahoma water.
Conservation Measures
A Wisconsin company, Kaukauna Utilities, has been authorized by the Wisconsin Public Service Commission to provide its customers a $50 rebate for the purchase and installation of “WaterSense” toilets. According to the PSC, the new high efficiency toilets use at least 20 percent less water and could save the average household up to 10,000 gallons per year. Also on the conservation front, the Aquarion Water Company is offering rain barrels to its customers at a substantial discount.
Pennsylvania PUC Approves Chloramine Settlement
By an order entered May 14, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission approved a settlement agreement between Pennsylvania-American Water Company and the state’s Office of Consumer Advocate that resolves various issues relating to PAWC’s decision to convert two of its treatment plants from chlorinated water to chloraminated water. The settlement calls for PAWC to provide certain information to its customers at least three months prior to implementing chloramination and to undertake monitoring actions thereafter. The PUC’s order also dismissed complaints brought by customers who objected to the conversion to chloramination.
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