Chair Michael Schmitt

It was a bright, crisp winter day when Public Utilities Fortnightly went to Kentucky’s capital to meet with the Kentucky Public Service Commission. Despite the snow on the ground, we had a warm welcome inside. PUF met with the PSC's three commissioners and its staff.
 

PUF's Steve Mitnick: What do you do on a typical day?

Chair Schmitt: Monday mornings usually begin with a series of Staff meetings concerning cases and issues pending before the Commission. These meetings typically last most if not all of the day. In preparation for these Staff meetings the commissioners will have already read the necessary file material and discussed our preliminary opinions as well as reviewed memoranda prepared by our financial analysts and attorneys the week before.

Discussions with Staff at the Monday meetings usually lead to the formation of a consensus opinion as to the final outcome on matters ripe for a decision. Prehearing discussions result in an agreement as to the core issues of a given case and a decision as to whether it can ultimately be decided on the record or whether a formal hearing will be necessary.

Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are generally reserved for hearings and when no hearings are conducted, we review evidence and documents in upcoming cases and hold informal meetings with Staff to gain their insight on various issues presented in those cases.