| Voter's Guide, 2020 Fall Elections, New Orleans
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| Position | Public Service Commission, District 1 | | Name | Allen H. Borne | | Party Affiliation | Democrat | | Profession | Attorney | | Present Employer / position | Self-employed, founder and manager of the Borne Law Firm | | Length of residence in Jurisdiction | 61 years | | List of educational institutions and degrees | De La Salle High School, Class of 1977;
Southern Missionary College, Class of 1981, B.S.;
Tulane Law School, Class of 1984, J.D. | | Prior elected and appointed positions | Orleans Democratic Executive Committee – early 90s, Vice President of the Orleans Levee Board 2005–2006 | | Civic involvement and affiliations | Lymphoma Leukemia Society - Member of the Fundraising Committee,
New Orleans Pro Bono Project - Member,
The Louisiana Bar Foundation - Member of the Legal Services Grants Committee,
De La Salle - Board of Trustees, Board of Directors New Oreans Yacht Club. |
Questions specific to the position
| 1. What goals do you want to accomplish as a Public Service Commissioner?
| 1. Affordable Utilities & Consumer Protections- I believe the Public Service Commission has a duty to protect the hard-working people of Louisiana by ensuring low cost utilities and financial protections to keep the lights on during these unprecedented times.
2. Increase Accessibility- As Public Service Commissioner, I will work hard to increase accessibility to the internet in rural and economically impacted communities. I will prioritize this issue because I understand that the internet is not a luxury, it is a necessity. In today’s age, increasing access to the internet also increases access to telemedicine, remote job opportunities, and virtual learning.
4. Sustainable Energy- I am committed to promoting low cost sustainable energy options that not only benefit the environment, but also create job opportunities.
5. Transparency- I believe the people of Louisiana have a right to be educated about the role of and informed about the decisions made by the Public Service Commission. The hard-working people of Louisiana should have a say in the policies that affect their households.
| | 2. Now that working from home and virtual classrooms have become normalized, in what ways would you expedite efficient, high speed access to the internet for all Louisiana residents, regardless of geographic location or neighborhood demographics?
| As Public Service Commissioner (PSC) for District 1, I will prioritize increasing accessibility to the internet in rural and economically impacted areas. I will prioritize this issue because I understand that the internet is not a luxury, it is a necessity. In today’s age, increasing access to the internet also increases access to telemedicine, remote job opportunities, and virtual learning. I believe the PSC can and should develop innovative solutions to incentivize coops and telecommunication companies to make the internet more accessible. These solutions include but are not limited to: 1) encouraging utility companies to give the right of way to internet providers to use existing infrastructure and 2) working with satellite internet providers to provide internet in remote locations. As Public Service Commissioner (PSC) for District 1, I will work with legislators to affect policy in this direction. | | 3. What priority will you give renewable energy resources, such as energy efficiency programs and solar and wind installations, in the mix of energy supply for customers? Do you plan to promote any? Discuss with regard to residential and large commercial installations.
| The future of Louisiana depends on sustainable and renewable energy resources. As the consequences of global warming become more pressing and the cost to produce renewable energy becomes less and less, the Public Service Commission has a responsibility to guide utility companies towards gradually using more renewable energy sources to reduce our carbon footprint. I am committed to a greener, more sustainable, and more affordable energy system. As Public Service Commissioner, I will fight to protect the consumers and their environment. | | 4. Should the Public Service Commission have a major role to play in requiring companies to ensure storm-hardened transmission lines?
| Yes. The Louisiana Public Service Commission has a duty to investigate the types of utility facilities that fail in storms, determine why they failed in the numbers they did, and to look into means of hardening utility systems against storms. |
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