Ted Craver, Phil Harris, Terry Boston, Pat Wood, The Governator, Nora Brownell, Gordon van Welie, etc.
Since January 1, 1990, 26 years ago, much has changed and much is changing. Who drove the changes? Who have been the 10 most influential leaders that shaped our world of utilities? On Tuesday, I asked who you would name? You flooded my inbox with nominations. First, to recap, here are 20 names I put out there:
Does electricity take a larger share of Americans’ budgets than in 1984?
This week's columns have analyzed the brand new Labor Department data on how much American households spent on everything during the year ending June 2015, including electricity.
The semi-annual Consumer Expenditure Survey is the source for understanding Americans' electric bills by region, income, age, urban/rural, etc. The government actually asks many thousands of households each quarter to track every single purchase. The credibility and detail, especially through mining the micro-data, is unequalled.
Electricity prices have fallen dramatically in several regions, especially adjusted for inflation, but is this leading to greater consumption?
The Consumer Price Index was published last Tuesday for the period through April. Electricity? The CPI for electricity has fallen 2.1 percent, April 2016 as compared with a year ago, April 2015.
During the same period, the overall CPI has risen 1.1 percent. This means electricity is significantly less expensive than it was last year.
Electricity prices have fallen dramatically in several regions, especially adjusted for inflation.
Here are the answers to the crossword puzzle in the June 2016 issue:
Across
2. Gray Californian: davis
6. Peter of New York: bradford
10. Governator: schwarzenegger
13. Disgraced Texan: lay
14. Oops. Last two in alphabet: yz
18. Disgraced with 13 Across: skilling
19. Cato economist: niskanen
20. Pete of California: wilson
22. Edison institute vet: kuhn
23. Building nuclear: fanning
24. Harvard prof's markets: hogan
27. New England, then Midwest: rowe
Mamie Eaton was celebrated in the lead article of the December 13, 1928 issue of Public Utilities Reports Fortnightly. She was the first woman to serve as a member of any railroad or public service commission.
Mamie was appointed by Florida's Governor in March 1927, after the death of Commissioner R.L. Eaton, her husband. She was elected to her own term in November 1928.
When she wasn't deciding rate cases? She owned and ran one of the largest growers of watermelon seeds in the world.
Late last week, the feds dumped a wealth of August electric price data on our desk. This week, we’ll fill you in, on what it all means for utility policy and regulation.
But first, thanks! Two months ago, on July 14, 2016, this column announced the new biz model for Public Utilities Fortnightly.
From our upcoming October issue, among 23 articles, columns, letters
Excerpt from October’s Public Utilities Fortnightly, page 80
On October 6, 1846, one of our industry’s greatest founders, George Westinghouse, was born in Central Bridge, New York. Just twenty-four miles from Schenectady, New York, which ultimately and ironically became the headquarters of Westinghouse’s chief rival, the Edison General Electric Company.
On Tuesday, the Labor Department released the Consumer Price Index data for September. It shows electric utility service continues to become cheaper inflation-adjusted.
Nationally, the CPI overall went up 1.5 percent since September 2015. But the CPI electricity went up just 0.1 percent during the period.
The gap between the CPI overall and the CPI electricity was 1.4 percent.
In the Northeast, the CPI overall went up 1.3 percent. But the CPI electricity went up just 0.3 percent.
A favorite carol, slightly reworded for those of us in utility regulation.
On the first day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
The filing in a new docket
On the second day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
Two cost of capital testimonies
and the filing in a new docket