North Dakota Public Service Commissioner Choose 1
The North Dakota Public Service Commission (PSC) regulates utilities, telecommunication companies, and railroads. It also assists consumers in resolving disputes with utility companies. Learn more at www.psc.nd.gov
Biographical Information
Endorsements
Senator John Hoeven, Regulatory Roundtable PAC
Website
http://sherifornd.com
Campaign Phone Number
(701)391-3427
Why are you running for the Public Service Commission?
My focus on running for reelection is straightforward: to keep ND’s electrical rates lowest in the nation, to enforce strong and accountable pipeline safety through rigorous oversight, and to ensure every community has clear and open access in our regulatory process. Every decision we make is grounded in law and carried out with transparency that reflects the needs of North Dakotans.
How would you balance landowner rights with private development?
NDPSC has no authority over eminent domain, so our role in balancing landowner rights and private development is defined strictly by the laws that govern us. Landowners have a direct voice in this process. Through our public hearings, they can present concerns and information relevant to the areas where the Commission has jurisdiction. Their input becomes part of the record. Private development never justifies harassing or bullying landowners. Respect is non-negotiable.
How would you ensure that AI data centers are developed with appropriate oversight and minimal impact on local communities, the environment, and electric rates?
The NDPSC has jurisdiction over new high-voltage transmission lines, new or expanded substations, major upgrades to existing utility infrastructure, and changes in utility rates. Our authority applies only to investor-owned utilities and any one of these upgrades are paid by the data customer, not the ratepayers. The PSC does not have jurisdiction over where a data center can or cannot be built. Those siting decisions fall outside the PSC’s authority.
How would you balance the interests of utilities, businesses, and consumers?
I balance the interests of utilities, businesses, and customers by applying the law and relying on the evidence of the record. Utilities must invest in reliable infrastructure, businesses need dependable service and customer’s deserve fair and reasonable rates. The Commission’s job is to weigh their needs within our jurisdiction and approve what is just and reasonable, lawful and in the public interest.
What process would you use to gauge public interest in proposed projects?
The NDPSC engages the public by holding transparent, on-the-record public hearings in the communities affected by proposed projects. These hearings give the landowners and the public a direct opportunity to testify, share concerns, and provide information relevant to the areas where the NDPSC has jurisdiction. Commissioners rely on this input, along with the evidence in the record and the laws that governs us, when making our decisions.
Biographical Information
Website
http://demnpl.com/pederson4psc
Campaign Email
jmpederson20@gmail.com
Campaign Phone Number
(701)786-2609
Why are you running for the Public Service Commission?
The nation's energy landscape has never been more complex or more consequential — for our grid reliability, our ratepayers, and our economic future. I believe my background as a historian and an economist makes me uniquely suited for this moment. Understanding how economies evolve and how institutions succeed or fail over time means I bring a big-picture perspective to decisions that will shape North Dakota for decades. We must focus on how our decisions impact the future, not just the present.
How would you balance landowner rights with private development?
Respecting landowner rights is good policy and a North Dakota value. I would insist on genuine landowner engagement before projects move forward, robust public notice and community hearings early enough to actually influence outcomes, and meaningful local government input into siting decisions. Energy infrastructure is necessary. So is treating the people whose land it crosses with respect. Unfortunately, House Bill 1258 stripped townships of their zoning authority over transmission projects.
How would you ensure that AI data centers are developed with appropriate oversight and minimal impact on local communities, the environment, and electric rates?
Evidence suggests that, without proper oversight, existing ratepayers pay the price. A data center in northwest North Dakota was directly linked to a $7.40-per-montE surcharge on MDU customers in Williams County. I would require large power users to demonstrate upfront how grid costs will be managed and who pays for them, insist on community hearings before major projects proceed, and require decommissioning plans. Economic development should not come at the expense of our families.
How would you balance the interests of utilities, businesses, and consumers?
The PSC's statutory mission is to protect consumers, the public interest, and the environment. I will put ratepayers first and advocate for structural reforms that make genuine independence possible: mandatory recusal when campaign donors appear before the commission, commonsense campaign finance reform including contribution limits and transparency, and a merit-based appointment process that ends the pattern of insiders being appointed to the PSC as a pit stop to another political office.
What process would you use to gauge public interest in proposed projects?
I would establish a process built around three principles. First, early and direct notification: affected landowners, townships, and local governments must be notified at the beginning of the process. Second, hearings in affected communities in the places where projects will be built, at times when working people can actually attend. Third, transparency: project applications, impact assessments, and rate analyses should be available in plain language before hearings occur.