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Qualifications for PUC board ‘too high’
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Posted on Nov 02 2006
Qualifications for officials of the newly created Public Utilities Commission are too high, making it difficult for the governor’s selection committee to find candidates for the positions, according to a member of the appointments group.
Department of Public Lands Secretary John S. Del Rosario said yesterday that the administration would ask the Legislature to lower the qualifications a little bit.
“The standards are too stringent. I don’t know if it will permit us to find people in the islands to fill those positions,” Del Rosario said.
He said that electrical engineers are especially hard to come by.
He noted that the Department of Public Works had had to employ nonresident engineers for many years due to the shortage of technical professionals on island.
Public Law 15-35, which established the Public Utilities Commission, was enacted on Oct. 24, 2006, Tuesday.
PUC will have five commissioners, including at least one who has training in the telephone, water and sewer utilities management; at least one with managerial or engineering experience in the field of power generation; at least one with telephone or cable television experience; and at least one who is a certified public accountant. Three commissioners should be from Saipan, and one each from Tinian and Rota.
Appointments to PUC will be subject to approval by both the Senate and the House of Representatives. The term of office is four years.
Each commissioner will receive a compensation of $60 for a full-day meeting and $30 for a half-day meeting, plus travel costs and per diem if applicable for attending meetings.
Other members of the selection committee are attorneys Howard Willens and Teresa Kim.
