Call Him Commissioner Butch
In his sixteen years on the PSC, South Carolina Commissioner John E. “Butch” Howard has been one of the most prominent and popular figures in state utility regulation. This could be attributed to his extraordinary dedication to the national association of state regulators, NARUC, but also to his warmth and humor in support of regulators coast-to-coast. As a member of NARUC’s Board of Directors and the chairman of NARUC’s Subcommittee on Education and Research, Commissioner Butch has been dogged in developing the quality of utility regulation in the public interest.
South Carolina's state dog is a Boykin Spaniel, a medium-sized dog bred for hunting wild turkeys and ducks in the Wateree River Swamp. Indeed, the first of September is celebrated as Boykin Spaniel Day in the Palmetto State. Which by the way is the state's official nickname referring to its official tree, the cabbage palmetto.
As we were on the phone with Commissioner Butch (aka South Carolina Commissioner John E. Howard), doing this interview, his Boykin Spaniel was at his side. It seemed to us that his canine companion was as dedicated to public service as the longtime Commissioner from Moncks Corner since the spaniel seldom interrupted the conversation about utility regulation.
In his sixteen years on the PSC, Commissioner Butch has been one of the most prominent and popular figures in state utility regulation universally admired by his peers around the country. This could be attributed to his extraordinary dedication to the national association of state regulators, NARUC, but also to his warmth and humor in support of regulators coast-to-coast. As a member of NARUC's Board of Directors and the chairman of NARUC's Subcommittee on Education and Research, Commissioner Butch has been dogged in developing the quality of utility regulation in the public interest.
PUF's Steve Mitnick: What were the highlights of your sixteen-year career serving on the South Carolina Public Service Commission?