The North Dakota Public Service Commission is a constitutional agency that maintains various degrees of statutory authority over utilities, telecommunications, railroads, grain elevators, pipeline safety, and other functions in North Dakota.
Established before North Dakota became a state, the Dakota Territory established a Board of Railroad Commissioners in 1885 to oversee railroads, sleeping car, and express companies. With the state's creation in 1889, the board was known as the North Dakota Board of Railroad Commissioners. The commission gained authority over the telephone companies in 1915, and over all public utilities (water, gas, steam heat, and electricity) in 1919. In 1940, the name was changed to the Public Service Commission. The commission currently consists of three commissioners who are elected on a statewide basis to staggered six-year terms. [1]
All three of the current public service commissioners are from the North Dakota Republican Party.
Sheri Haugen-Hoffart was appointed to the office by Governor Doug Burgum in January 2022.
Juilliard Kringstad was appointed to the commission in 2025 by Governor Kelly Armstrong. [2]
Randy Christmann was elected to the commission in 2012. He previously had a long career in the North Dakota Senate. [3]
The North Dakota Republican Party is the North Dakota affiliate of the United States Republican Party.
The Tennessee Public Service Commission, also called Tennessee Railroad and Public Utilities Commission, was a three-member elected body which regulated private utilities, trucking firms, and railroads within the U.S. state of Tennessee. It was dissolved in 1996 when its functions were transferred to the Tennessee Regulatory Authority.
The Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) is the public utilities commission of the state of Kansas run by three Commissioners appointed by the Governor with the approval of the Senate. The Commission has the responsibility of ensuring that natural gas, electricity, telephone, and transportation vendors provide safe, adequate, and reliable services at reasonable rates. Notwithstanding the commission's name, it does not charter corporations; that function is performed by the office of the Secretary of State.
The California Public Utilities Commission is a regulatory agency that regulates privately owned public utilities in the state of California, including electric power, telecommunications, natural gas and water companies. In addition, the CPUC regulates common carriers, including household goods movers, limousines, rideshare services, self-driving cars, and rail crossing safety. The CPUC has headquarters in the Civic Center district of San Francisco, and field offices in Los Angeles and Sacramento.
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission is the public utilities commission of the U.S state of Oklahoma run by three statewide elected commissioners. Authorized to employ more than 500 employees, it regulates oil and gas drilling, utilities and telephone companies.
The Florida Public Service Commission (FPSC) regulates investor-owned electric, natural gas, and water and wastewater utilities. The FPSC facilitates competitive markets in the telecommunications industry, has authority over intercarrier disputes, and oversees pay telephones, the federal Lifeline Assistance Program and Telecommunications Relay Service.
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.
The politics of North Dakota were shaped historically by early settlement by people from the Northern Tier, who carried their politics west ultimately from New England, upstate New York, and the Upper Midwest. The area and state also received numerous European immigrants and migrants, particularly during the era of opening up of former Native American lands for sale and settlement.
The following table indicates the party of elected officials in the U.S. state of North Dakota:
The Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) is a statutory organ of the state government of Georgia; elected among five commission districts, the board consists of a Chairman, a Vice-chairman, and three Commissioners. PSC regulates telecommunications, transportation, electric and natural gas services in the U.S. state of Georgia. Commissioners are elected in partisan elections statewide, though they must reside in a district.
The Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) is a three-member public utilities commission, with beginnings in 1878. It is a quasi-judicial tribunal, which regulates services and rates of electric, natural gas, water and telecommunication providers, as well as all pipelines and transmission lines in the U.S. state of Iowa and has existed with its present name since 1986.
The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) is the public utilities commission of the state of Indiana, led by five commissioners appointed by the governor.
The Mississippi Public Service Commission is a government agency which regulates telecommunications, electric, gas, water and sewer utilities in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The commission was created in 1884 and in its early history was tasked with regulating various transport and telecommunications industries in the state. It assumed its current name in 1938 and was given jurisdiction over electric, gas, and water utilities in 1956.
The North Carolina Utilities Commission is a government agency that regulates the various utilities of the state of North Carolina. The Commission also regulates household goods transportation, buses, brokers and ferryboats.
Randel Christmann is a Republican politician from North Dakota. He represented the 33rd district in the North Dakota Senate from 1995 to 2013. In 2012, he was elected to the North Dakota Public Service Commission, as one of three members elected statewide.
The state of North Dakota held a series of elections on November 6, 2012. In addition to selecting presidential electors, North Dakotan voters selected one of its two United States Senators and its lone United States Representative, as well as seven statewide executive officers and one Supreme Court Justice. Primary elections were held on June 12, 2012.
North Dakota held two statewide elections in 2018: a primary election on Tuesday, June 12, and a general election on Tuesday, November 6. In addition, each township elected officers on Tuesday, March 20, and each school district held their elections on a date of their choosing between April 1 and June 30.
Kelly Michael Armstrong is an American lawyer and politician who has served since 2024 as the 34th governor of North Dakota. A member of the Republican Party, he served from 2019 to 2024 as the U.S. representative for North Dakota's at-large congressional district. He also served from 2012 to 2018 as the North Dakota state senator from the 36th district and from 2015 to 2018 as chair of the North Dakota Republican Party. On January 23, 2024, he announced he would not seek reelection to the House and would instead run in the 2024 North Dakota gubernatorial election. Armstrong won the Republican primary on June 11, 2024, and defeated Democratic nominee Merrill Piepkorn in the general election.
The North Dakota Industrial Commission is the body that oversees the management of several separate programs and resources, including the Bank of North Dakota, North Dakota Mill and Elevator, and the Department of Mineral Resources. By law, it has three members: the Attorney General, the Agriculture Commissioner, and the Governor, who acts as chair.
North Dakota held two statewide elections in 2024: a primary election on June 11, and a general election on November 5.