I always got the feeling that utility lobbyists could get a hearing any time they wanted to and did, and I always got the feeling that the Committee of Consumer Services was barely tolerated, ... In the eight years that I was there, I was probably approached two or three times by a legislator who wanted the committee perspective on something. |
It seems to me (that) the governor, the Legislature, the Public Service Commission, the Department of Commerce and the Division of Public Utilities are way too eager to look out for the interests of the utilities and their stockholders and not nearly interested enough in looking out for the interests of the small customers, ... There's a whole bunch of big customers that they would rather look out for than for you and me. |
Let's change the law so that the governor can't just sail in and change the leadership at the Committee of Consumer Services. |
There wasn't anybody on there, nobody, not one, representing residential energy users, not one representing small-business users, ... What our elected representatives are too inclined to do is to give the utilities what they want, completely failing to realize that they have the power and they really have the obligation to put the needs of Utah first. |
Twice now, successive governors, after their election and inauguration, have fired directors of the Committee of Consumer Services, |
You've got one side of Questar that can sell at these inflated market prices outside the company and another side that is buying at these inflated prices outside the company, ... For about 25 years, Questar refused to drill for new gas supplies on behalf of Questar Gas Co.'s customers. If they had done so, instead of having to buy on the open market half of all the gas we use, they would have all the company-owned gas that they need to supply their customers at cost of production. |