The North Dakota Public Service Commission is a constitutional agency that maintains various degrees of statutory authority over utilities, telecommunications, railroads, grain elevators, pipeline safety, and other functions in
North Dakota
North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...
.
Established before
North Dakota
North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...
became a state, the
Dakota Territory
The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of No ...
established a Board of Railroad Commissioners in 1885 to oversee railroads, sleeping car, and express companies. With the state's creation in 1889, the board was known as the
North Dakota Board of Railroad Commissioners. The commission gained authority over the telephone companies in 1915, and over all public utilities (water, gas, steam heat, and electricity) in 1919. In 1940, the name was changed to the Public Service Commission. The commission currently consists of three Commissioners who are elected on a statewide basis to staggered six-year terms.
Current Public Service Commissioners
All three of the current Public Service Commissioners are from the
North Dakota Republican Party
The North Dakota Republican Party is the North Dakota affiliate of the United States Republican Party.
Its platform is conservative. It is currently the dominant party in the state, controlling North Dakota's at-large U.S. House seat, both U.S. ...
.
Brian Kroshus
Brian Kroshus was appointed to the office by Governor
Doug Burgum
Douglas James Burgum (born August 1, 1956) is an American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and politician serving as the 33rd governor of North Dakota since 2016. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Burgum was born and raised in the small to ...
in March 2017. He is an owner of a cattle and grain operation in western North Dakota.
Julie Fedorchak
Julie Fedorchak was appointed to the commission in 2012 by Governor
John Hoeven
John Henry Hoeven III ( ; born March 13, 1957) is an American banker and politician serving as the senior U.S. senator from North Dakota, a seat he has held since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, Hoeven served as the 31st governor of No ...
. She was elected to the seat in 2014 for the remainder of the term, and currently serves as chair of the commission.
Randy Christmann
Randy Christmann was elected to the commission in 2012. He previously had a long career in the
North Dakota Senate
The North Dakota Senate is the upper house of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly, smaller than the North Dakota House of Representatives.
Per the state constitution, North Dakota is divided into between 40 and 54 legislative districts appor ...
.
Commissioner Randy Christmann: Public Service Commission, North Dakota
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See also
*List of North Dakota Public Service Commissioners
The following is a list of Public Service Commissioners of North Dakota. The three public service commissioner offices were created in 1940 and terms began on January 1, 1941, replacing the three offices that made up the North Dakota Railroad Com ...
*North Dakota Railroad Commission
The North Dakota Board of Railroad Commissioners was a North Dakota constitutional agency that was the precedent of the North Dakota Public Service Commission. The Commission consisted of three elected Railroad Commissioners, and was created in 18 ...
Notes
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Public utilities commissions of the United States
Public Service Commission