I am running for the Public Service Commission to listen to you. To respect you as a stakeholder. Those who are obliged to regulate the proliferation of data centers and the accompanying infrastructure are ignoring the needs of those most affected. Data Centers need to pay for their own electricity and water and not interfere with local availability.

Landowners and local governments deserve to have a seat at the table and a voice in decisions.

First, we need to regulate NDA requirements. Residents should know and be able to speak to concerns about a project before they break ground. Second, current rate payers should not be affected at all by data centers drawing huge amounts of electricity. Third, the PSC needs to have the authority to ensure that local water supplies are not affected by a nearby data center.

Utilities need to recover costs of operation and investment, but they should not be passing costs of huge load demands onto their existing customers.

I think going to communities and listening to what local residents have to say is the best system of public opinion that I have encountered in my time in politics. I enjoy hearing from citizens. They have a far better understanding of what needs to happen than an industry insider or developer looking to land a project.

North Dakota’s role in national energy security, dependable utilities, and strong agricultural and industrial sectors depends on stable, common-sense regulation. I’m running to build on the progress we’ve made — defending affordable, reliable energy, ensuring fair utility practices, and maintaining strong oversight of critical infrastructure that supports our families, farms, and businesses while balancing the needs of landowners and citizens of North Dakota.

Infrastructure supports our daily lives, the economy of the state, and enables jobs for our families. It is critical that this is developed in an orderly way that protects the environment and citizens while balancing the rights of landowners to preserve or profit from their land. I review the unique facts and circumstances of each case, listen to citizen concerns at hearings, and apply the laws and rules set by the legislature in a fair and impartial manner.

Data centers are an opportunity for North Dakota but need to be developed in a responsible way that protects the grid and current ratepayers. If rate regulated by the PSC, I would use my accounting and economics background to ensure current ratepayers are protected from data center costs. This can (and has) provided benefits for existing customers through lower rates and system upgrades. Infrastructure development that falls under PSC siting jurisdiction would face a through review.

Our utilities provide a vital service, but their costs need to be closely scrutinized to ensure fair and reasonable rates. Having reliable service at low rates is a benefit to everyone including consumers and businesses. Thanks to the effective regulation of the PSC, North Dakota currently has the lowest electric rates in the nation.

The PSC siting process is designed by the legislature to provide a transparent and rigorous review of any project. The public is notified any time the Commission discusses a proposed project, hearings are open for the public to attend and often broadcast live, and recordings are published for review once the meeting is concluded. We also travel to communities affected by the proposed project to hear directly from citizens in every case.