The Wyoming Office of Consumer Advocate is an independent division within the Wyoming Public Service Commission created by an Act of the Wyoming Legislature in March 2003. The OCA is charged with representing the interests of Wyoming citizens and all classes of utility customers in matters involving public utilities. The statutory language creating the OCA can be found in the Wyoming Statutes at W.S. §37-2-401 through 404.
The Administrator is appointed by and reports to the Governor. The OCA’s other five employees are hired by and report to the OCA’s Administrator. The technical experience of the staff includes legal, economic, and accounting expertise, which provides the necessary skills to write and communicate expert testimony to the Wyoming Public Service Commission regarding utility proceedings.
The Office of Consumer Advocate (OCA) provides expert witnesses and testimony for the Wyoming Public Service Commission on behalf of all Wyoming rate payers.
The 2021-2022 Strategic Plan for the Office of Consumer Advocate defines the direction of the organization and gives insight into its decisions on allocating resources to pursue this strategy. It is the intent of the OCA, pursuant to W.S. § 37-2-401, to “represent the interests of Wyoming citizens and all classes of utility customers in matters involving public utilities.” We will work to ensure that investments and expenses that are necessary and prudent in providing safe and efficient service to customers, but only those, are accurately and equitably reflected in the rates that customers pay for utility services. As the key, and in some cases, the sole advocate for the broader public interest in contested cases we will closely examine our analysis and recommendations to ensure that they are reasonable and that they are within the jurisdiction of the WPSC under state and federal law. We will advocate for the best long-term interests of customers and avoid placing short-term gains over long term, stability, reliability and affordability of service.
The mission of the Office of Consumer Advocate is to provide independent and direct representation of Wyoming utility ratepayers before the Wyoming Public Service Commission in utility filings and applications in which the public interest is contested. The OCA is dedicated to ensuring that safe, adequate and reliable utility services are available to all Wyoming citizens at affordable rates.
Hansen Building - 2515 Warren Ave, Suite 304 - Cheyenne, WY 82002 - 307.777.7427