New Mexico PRC
Patrick O’Connell is Chair of the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission and President of the Western Conference of Public Service Commissioners. Paul Kjellander is PUF Senior Advisor and former President of the Idaho Public Utilities Commission.
Three popular meetings are held by NARUC each year, which are well attended and the place to be. NARUC also has five regional associations, which hold annual meetings, usually in May and June.
Those five are: Mid-America Regulatory Conference (MARC), Mid-Atlantic Conference of Regulatory Utilities Commissioners (MACRUC), New England Conference of Public Utilities Commissioners (NECPUC), Southeastern Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (SEARUC), and Western Conference of Public Service Commissioners (WCPSC).
Each regional association elects its own officers, maintains independent bylaws, hosts annual meetings/education conferences, and convenes during NARUC meetings. Public Utilities Fortnightly's Paul Kjellander, former Idaho Commission President, talked with leaders at each of the five regional associations.
PUF's Paul Kjellander: You are assuming another title, to be president of the Western Conference of Public Service Commissioners or WCPSC. As leader of that regional organization, what are the highest priorities as you take on this role?