Consumer Advocate
Dean Nishina is executive director, division of consumer advocacy, for the Aloha State.
PUF: You're the consumer advocate. What is your job in the Aloha state?
Dean Nishina: The consumer advocate is the executive director for the division of consumer advocacy by statute. Our division is party to every proceeding before the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission.
Our responsibility is to represent the interests of all consumers of any regulated utility or transportation company. We represent, protect, and advance the interest of those consumers. I would offer our organization may be a little different than some of the consumer advocates in other states because we're supposed to represent all consumers.
I know some of the other agencies represent small business perhaps or certainly residential but for whatever reason, in our jurisdiction, we don't seem to have as many intervenors from some of the other groups that tend to intervene in other jurisdictions.
There's no organized group that intervenes on behalf of large industrial customers or large commercial customers. We are supposed to represent the interests of all of those consumers.