John Gage

This would take away the independence of the Office of the Consumer Advocate (OCA) which serves as a voice for citizen ratepayers. I have concerns about conflicts of interest and less consistency in its advocacy for consumers if these functions were to be moved to the Department of Energy (DOE), an agency run by political appointees with shifting political agendas. The OCA’s current independent status allows it to advocate at the Public Utilities Commission and elsewhere free of the influence of political pressures.