PUC member says he’ll run for re-election

Mitchell resident Dusty Johnson plans to run next year for re-election to the state Public Utilities Commission, he said Monday.

Earlier this year, political observers speculated that Johnson might run for the U.S. House. Though a run for higher office could still be in his future, he said, he’s shunning the opportunity now because of the time it would require him to spend apart from his family.

He also enjoys his current job and wants to keep it, he said.

“Energy issues are a really big deal in this country right now. I’ve got a job that is very interesting and that I love, and that I feel has a big impact on people’s lives.”

The 33-year-old Republican won a spot on the PUC in 2004 by ousting Democrat and 18-year-incumbent Jim Burg, of Wessington Springs. Since then, Johnson has had a front-row seat for the energy-related debates that have come to dominate much of South Dakota’s public-policy landscape.

Among the high-profile regulatory cases to come before the PUC during Johnson’s tenure have been two requests to build crude-oil pipelines through the state. One was approved for construction, and the other is still pending the PUC’s review.

“I’m not a cheerleader for that kind of development, but I do want to make sure it gets done right if it’s going to get done,” he said. “Those are hard decisions, and I think we’ve done a good job. But managing growth is always difficult.”

Johnson said he’s particularly proud of his contributions to wind-energy development. He expects that when his current term ends at the end of next year, the state will have 15 times more wind-energy development than when he came into office.

The developers of wind-energy projects deserve most of the credit for that, Johnson said. But he thinks the PUC has encouraged growth in the wind industry by helping lower property taxes for wind farms, streamlining the regulatory process for wind projects, working with South Dakota State University on a wind-resource assessment network, and developing a model wind-farm ordinance for counties.

“There have been a lot of changes in policy at the state level that have made South Dakota an attractive place to do business,” Johnson said. “This was not an attractive place to do business a few years ago for wind developers.”

If re-elected, Johnson said, he will focus on three main goals: providing access to high-speed Internet for the nearly one-third of South Dakota that lacks it, making South Dakota a major player in the green-energy movement and mitigating anticipated increases in utility bills.

The general election will be Nov. 2, 2010. Johnson said he expects to have one or more opponents.

“Because this has been a front-row seat to the energy issues that have been so hot, particularly in the last few years, a lot of people view this as a job where you can make a big difference.”

Tags: election 2010, dusty johnson, news, local, state, politics, puc