– Public Service Commissioners Chris Brown and Wayne Carr released a joint statement today in response to the lawsuit filed and the press conference called by the liberal groups Mississippi Sierra Club and Audubon Delta. After a thorough review and careful consideration, the Mississippi Public Service Commission made a commonsense vote to suspend a ratepayer funded incentive program which had gone completely unused. When asked about the vote Commissioner Brown, who represents the Northern District and currently serves as Chairman of the Commission, stated, “I won’t apologize for doing exactly what I said I would do when I campaigned for this position. I’m here to represent the Mississippi ratepayer, not special interest groups. If your industry can only succeed by milking hardworking Mississippians, then your industry won’t succeed with me as Chairman. At the end of the day, I’m not anti-solar, but I am opposed to placing undue costs on the ratepayers.” Commissioner Carr, who represents the Southern District, added, “We ran on a platform rooted in common sense, and we intend to uphold that promise. Our decisions will reflect the values of our constituents and the principles of rational governance." While these groups seek attention by inaccurately stating that this decision will “suspend solar progress,” the Commissioners noted there are several large solar projects currently in the works that will benefit Mississippians rather than steal from them. In fact, Commissioner Brown presided over a hearing involving a private sector solar energy project in Tunica, Mississippi just yesterday. Chairman Brown is confident the Commission made the right decision, stating, “I promised to stand in the gap between industry and ratepayers in the Northern District. This is the perfect example of what I meant when I said liberal interest groups and corporations are actively coming after Mississippi ratepayers. With this vote, Commissioner Carr and I choose to stand in their way.” The commissioners look forward to continuing an all of the above approach to keep rates low, ensure energy is reliable, and foster open communication between the Public Service Commission and the Mississippi residents they represent.
