The Tennessee Public Service Commission, also called Tennessee Railroad and Public Utilities Commission, was a three-member elected body which regulated private

utilities A public utility company (usually just utility) is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service (often also providing a service using that infrastructure). Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and r ...

truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport freight, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construct ...

ing firms, and

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

s within the

U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

state of

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

. It was dissolved in 1996 when its functions were transferred to the

Tennessee Regulatory Authority The Tennessee Public Utility Commission (TPUC) is the Tennessee governmental unit charged with the responsibility of setting rates and service standards for privately owned telephone, natural gas, electric, and water utilities. History The Tenne ...

. The body consisted of three commissioners, one from each of the state's three "

Grand Divisions The Grand Divisions are three geographic regions in the U.S. state of Tennessee, each constituting roughly one-third of the state's land area, that are geographically, culturally, legally, and economically distinct. The Grand Divisions are lega ...

" (

East East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that ea ...

Middle Middle or The Middle may refer to: * Centre (geometry), the point equally distant from the outer limits. Places * Middle (sheading), a subdivision of the Isle of Man * Middle Bay (disambiguation) * Middle Brook (disambiguation) * Middle Creek ...

, and

West Tennessee West Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee that roughly comprises the western quarter of the state. The region includes 21 counties between the Tennessee and Mississippi rivers, delineated by state law. Its geography consists ...

). While one member of the body was required to be from each Grand Division, each was elected on a statewide basis to staggered six-year terms, resulting in the election of one commissioner in each even-numbered year. This body was somewhat less powerful than some similar bodies in most other states in that, with the exception of the

Kingsport Kingsport is a city in Sullivan and Hawkins counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It lies along the Holston River and had a population of 55,442 at the 2020 census. It is the largest city in the Kingsport–Bristol metropolitan area, w ...

area, it had no jurisdiction over electric rates since the vast majority of the state received its

power Power may refer to: Common meanings * Power (physics), meaning "rate of doing work" ** Engine power, the power put out by an engine ** Electric power, a type of energy * Power (social and political), the ability to influence people or events Math ...

from the

Tennessee Valley Authority The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a federally owned electric utility corporation in the United States. TVA's service area covers all of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, and small areas of Georgia, North Carolin ...

, which as part of the

federal government A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...

was not subject to

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

regulation.

History

The Tennessee Public Service Commission originated in 1897 as an elected three-member state Railroad Commission, vested with the authority to investigate the rates and practices of

s and to approve rail tariffs. In 1919 the Railroad Commission's responsibilities were expanded to include the regulation of

street railway A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

s and public utilities, and the

Tennessee General Assembly The Tennessee General Assembly (TNGA) is the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is a part-time bicameral legislature consisting of a Tennessee Senate, Senate and a Tennessee House of Representa ...

changed the body's name to the Railroad and Public Utilities Commission. Jurisdiction over motor carriers was added in 1933. With the creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority in the 1930s the commission lost its jurisdiction over electric utilities; street railways were removed from commission jurisdiction in 1943. The commission's name was changed to the Public Service Commission in 1955. Once the

Tennessee Supreme Court The Tennessee Supreme Court is the highest court in the state of Tennessee. The Supreme Court's three buildings are seated in Nashville, Knoxville, and Jackson, Tennessee. The Court is composed of five members: a chief justice, and four justice ...

was changed to being confirmed by a yes-no vote (the "Modified

Missouri Plan The Missouri Plan (originally the Missouri Nonpartisan Court Plan, also known as the merit plan, or some variation) is a method for the selection of judges. It originated in Missouri in 1940 and has been adopted by many states of the United State ...

" or "

Tennessee Plan The Tennessee Plan is a system used to appoint and elect appellate court judges in Tennessee. It is largely patterned after the Missouri Plan, and an earlier version in Tennessee was called the Modified Missouri Plan. At the end of every judge's ...

") rather than being chosen by an actual election, the PSC members became the only government officials in Tennessee other than the

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

who were elected statewide. During the entire life of the body, all of its members were Democrats. The process was tainted by allegations of corruption.Decision in the case of ''Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, Inc. v. Keith Bissell'', No. 98-6037
U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, April 12, 2000 The general public showed very little interest in the office, despite its potential for considerable impact on their daily lives, with total votes cast in races for the office often amounting only to two-thirds or less of the numbers cast for governor,

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

, or

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

in the same election, and most people largely or entirely unaware of the duties and functions of the commission. Nearly all campaign donations came from the industries which were regulated by the PSC, their representatives, and persons involved with them. No one was ever elected to higher office from the Tennessee Public Service Commission, although such attempts were occasionally made, such as in 1994 when Frank Cockran and Steve Hewlett ran unsuccessfully in the Democratic Gubernatorial Primary. Election-related scandals and charges of favoritism, together with the fact that no Republican was ever elected to the office of Public Service Commissioner, led the administration of

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Don Sundquist Donald Kenneth Sundquist (March 15, 1936 – August 27, 2023) was an American businessman and politician who served as the 47th governor of Tennessee from 1995 to 2003. Prior to his governorship, he represented Tennessee's 7th congressional dis ...

to move to abolish the office in 1995. The Tennessee General Assembly acted that year to abolish the Public Service Commission, replacing it with the

, consisting of three members, with one member each appointed by the Governor, the

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

, and the Speaker of the

Tennessee House of Representatives The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. Constitutional requirements According to the state constitution of 1870, this body is to consis ...

. The Public Service Commission ceased operation on June 30, 1996, and the Regulatory Authority began operation the following day.

References

External links

* Janice Beecher (Michigan State University)
The All Commissioners List
- List of all persons who had ever served as members of U.S. federal and state public utilities regulatory agencies through 2007 {{authority control History of Tennessee Government of Tennessee Government agencies established in 1897 1897 establishments in Tennessee 1996 disestablishments in Tennessee State agencies of Tennessee

History

See also

References

External links