Public Service Commission
PSC COMMISSIONER BORDERS NAMED TO NATIONAL CLEAN COAL PANEL - Group represents utility regulators

        Kentucky Public Service Commission (PSC) Commissioner Charles R. Borders has been named to the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) panel on clean coal technology.
        “I am honored to accept this challenging assignment,” Borders said. “The debate over our nation’s future energy policy is entering a critical stage and it is vital that Kentucky’s interests be represented whenever that policy is discussed.”
        The NARUC Subcommittee on Clean Coal and Carbon Sequestration explores ways to continue the use of coal – the nation’s most abundant energy resource – while reducing emissions, particularly those of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide.
        Borders was named to the panel by NARUC President David Coen. The subcommittee is chaired by David Ziegner of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission. PSC Chairman David Armstrong also is a member.
        “Kentucky, which uses coal to produce almost all of our electricity, will not be able to compete economically unless we find ways to maintain coal as a central asset in our energy portfolio,” Borders said. “I intend to use my membership on this subcommittee to promote policies which can help Kentucky continue to use our abundant coal resources while reducing the impacts on our environment.”
        Armstrong said he is pleased that Borders has joined him on the NARUC subcommittee.
        “Commissioner Borders is a native of eastern Kentucky, so he understands at a personal level the importance of coal to our state’s economy,” Armstrong said. “As a former legislator, he also understands the shaping of public policy. I know that he will serve Kentucky well in this important role.”
        Governor Steve Beshear appointed Borders to the PSC on July 15, 2009. His term expires June 30, 2013.
        Borders also serves on NARUC’s water committee.
        Before joining the PSC, Borders served in the Kentucky Senate, representing the 18th District in northeast Kentucky beginning in 1991. He chaired the Appropriations and Revenue Committee and served on the committees on Education and Health and Welfare.
        Borders is a past member of the Kentucky Council on Post-Secondary Education and of the Kentucky Workforce Investment Board.
        He was executive director of King’s Daughters Health Foundation and director of administrative services for King’s Daughters Medical Center in Ashland. He also has been a real estate broker. From 1971 to 1993 he held various corporate finance positions for Ashland, Inc.
        The PSC is an independent agency attached for administrative purposes to the Energy and Environment Cabinet. It regulates more than 1,500 gas, water, sewer, electric and telecommunication utilities operating in Kentucky and has approximately 100 employees.