Full interview with Public Service Commission candidate Randy Christmann
(BISMARCK, ND) – Public Service Commissioner Randy Christmann, serving as its chair, was first elected to the Commission in 2012 and then again in 2018. The agency has statutory authority over a variety of topics, including electric and gas utilities, energy plants, railroads and pipeline safety.
Since he has been on the Commission, Christmann says the Commission has approved nearly $20 billion worth of energy infrastructure in the state, which the Commission then oversees to make sure it is ‘built in accordance with North Dakota laws.’
“That is a huge amount of development that has come through us on our monopoly utilities,” he said.
“People can like the North Dakota laws, or dislike them,” he said. “We make sure that the companies follow whatever the legislature approves for laws.”
North Dakota boasts ‘some of the best reliability statistics in America,” Christmann said.
“Last year, North Dakota had the lowest electric rates in the nation,” he said. “And the reason for that is good oversight and good utilities working and serving people in North Dakota.”
Christmann said landowners have voiced concerns about infrastructure. He says the commissioners work to explain the processes when it comes to infrastructure.
Another issue is rates.
“Because of the inflation that we have had, people are concerned about the rates they’re paying,” he said. Rates in North Dakota have not increased, but likely will due to the inflationary rates and how those impact companies.
