Susan Parker has a common-sense approach to her job as one of the three members of the Alabama Public Service Commission.
“I can help people who need help the most,” she said Friday during a meeting with the TimesDaily editorial board. “I've gained a tremendous amount of knowledge in the past four years, and I'm poised to really help Alabama.”

Parker, a Democrat from Rogersville, is seeking her second term on the regulatory board. She faces Republican Terry Dunn, a contractor, in the Nov. 2 general election.

Partisan politics are not a part of the job, as she sees it.

“That has nothing to do with my work,” she said. “I have met some opposition just because I am a Democrat. I think that's because times are tough, and you blame whoever is in office. But this didn't happen overnight. It's been going on for nine years, and this president has only been in office for two years.”

Parker opposes the energy cap-and-trade proposals touted by the Democratic leadership in Washington.

“The Southeast would be at a disadvantage under cap and trade because we don't have the renewable energy sources other parts of the country have, such as wind power,” she said. “They won't count hydro-electric and nuclear power, which are carbon-free, which is the ultimate goal.”

Cap and trade ultimately would increase utilities costs, which would have a severe financial effect on the poor, she said.

“We need more nuclear power and more energy efficiency, but that won't happen overnight,” she said.

Parker is president-elect of the National Association of Regulatory Utilities Commissioners, a position she said will give her considerable influence with the policy makers involved in cap and trade discussions.

The Public Service Commission regulates various aspects of most utilities, including telephone, natural gas, electricity (except the Tennessee Valley Authority, which is a federal agency), private water and wastewater, trucking and taxis, and railroads.

Deregulation has occurred in some industries, including telephone, which has reduced PSC's reach.

Parker said it is too early to say whether deregulation in the telephone industry will ultimately benefit consumers. With the Legislature's help, however, she helped create regulations that prevent phone companies from charging higher rates for rural customers. She said the companies must maintain their outlying lines because cell phone service is not available in all rural areas, such as Waterloo.

She met recently with AT&T officials about establishing cell phone service for Waterloo and was told they are including requests for four towers in their budget. That could take two years if AT&T approves it, she said.

Parker, a native of Morgan County, was elected state auditor in 1998. She ran against Republican U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2002 and was elected to the PSC in 2006. She has a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Alabama.