Kentucky Utility Regulators Sue To Limit Public Records Access

Amid last year’s fight over net-metering legislation, a lobbyist working on behalf of utilities asked the regulatory agency that oversees utilities to weigh-in with a letter to lawmakers.

The Public Service Commission sent a letter to lawmakers a week later.

That email was among 282 pages of documents that came to light after a public records request from Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, a left-leaning advocacy nonprofit. KFTC is highlighting the email as an example of the types of “cozy” relationships utility regulators have with lobbyists.

And in the wake of the release, the Public Service Commission is suing KFTC to set legal precedent that keeps certain communications — like those between executive agencies and lawmakers — confidential before a bill has been signed into law.