Volz appointed Public Service Board chairman
James Volz, who has served as the Department of Public Service's (DPS) director for public advocacy since 1989, has been appointed chair of the Public Service Board, Governor Jim Douglas has announced.
According to its mission statement, the Public Service Board is a quasi-judicial board that regulates the rates, quality of service, and overall financial management of Vermont's public utilities: cable television, electric, gas, telecommunications, water and large wastewater companies.
As director of public advocacy, Volz represents the interests of the public in regulated utility matters before Vermont and federal regulatory agencies and courts. Governor Douglas, who made the appointment, said this experience would serve him well as chairman.
Volz, 55, of Montpelier has also served as special counsel to DPS from 1985-1989; an associate at a private law practice; a Deputy State's Attorney; and a clerk for Justice Franklin S. Billings Jr. He received his Juris Doctor degree from Franklin Pierce Law Center in May, 1981.
The appointment is effective March 1, 2005, and subject to Senate confirmation.
Governor Douglas praised the outgoing chair, Michael Dworkin, for his service. "I want to thank Chairman Dworkin for his service to the people of Vermont," Douglas said. "He has been a dedicated public servant and his commitment to helping Vermont find the most reliable utility services has been appreciated."
The Public Service Board is a quasi-judicial board that supervises the rates, quality of service, and overall financial management of Vermont's public utilities: cable television, electric, gas, telecommunications, water and large wastewater companies.
It also reviews the environmental and economic impacts of energy purchases and facilities, the safety of hydroelectric dams, the financial aspects of nuclear plant decommissioning and radioactive waste storage, and the rates paid to independent power producers.