Sens. Louis P. Hill and Alicia “Chucky” Hansen have been tapped by Senate President Ronald Russell to serve as the two senatorial nonvoting members of the Public Services Commisison.
Under V.I. Law, the senate president is charged with appointing a senator from each district to serve on the commission.
According to a release from Russell’s office Wednesday, a letter was sent to PSC Vice Chairman Donald “Ducks” Cole advising him of the appointments. Cole is the top commissioner in the absence of former chairman Joseph C. Boschulte, who has taken over as chief financial officer of the Water and Power Authority Board.
The Commission has nine members, two of whom are appointed from the Legislature. Of the seven members appointed by the governor, three must be from St. Thomas, three from St. Croix, and one from St. John. Each serve three-year terms and can continue to serve beyond their terms while a new commissioner is named and approved.
In the case of Boschulte, his WAPA duties left the PSC chairmanship empty immediately.
The PSC is a quasi-judicial, regulatory agency tasked with maintaining a balance between V.I. public utilities and their ratepayers. Public utilities subject to PSC regulation include the territory’s public utilities and certain transportation services that have exclusive franchises with the government.
