Senate rejects another Evers appointee, this time for Public Service Commission

MADISON - The Senate has rejected another of Gov. Tony Evers' appointees, this time for the state's regulatory agency for public utilities.

The Senate rejected Tyler Huebner of the Public Service Commission on a mostly party-line vote Tuesday. Huebner had served on the commission for nearly four years without a confirmation vote.

Republicans raised concerns over past decisions they said veered into policy, whereas Huebner's role is regulatory.

"There's a problem when you're using that position to be an activist," Sen. Julian Bradley, R-Franklin, said during testimony.

Republicans cited decisions Huebner made to authorize rates based on income, instead of usage, Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine, said in a press release. He also approved a third-party solar agreement in Stevens Point and has not recused himself from decisions on which he's lobbied, in addition to asking for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion information from utility companies without authority.

"The reasons to reject Commissioner Huebner are not political, they are about following the law," Wanggaard said. "Huebner has failed to do so."

More: Rejected appointees of Gov. Tony Evers raise concerns of a 'chilling effect' on service roles

Democrats argued on the floor that Huebner was an advocate for renewable energy, an area attracting more and more attention in Wisconsin.

"Instead of continuing playing partisan games with appointments, we should be focusing on the needs of the people," Sen. Brad Pfaff, D-Onalaska, said.

Evers said Huebner was a qualified appointee, with years of experience in the field.

“Commissioner Huebner is an exemplary public servant who’s dedicated to serving the people of Wisconsin and building the sustainable future we want for our state. The decision by Senate Republicans to fire him today defies justification and logic,” Evers said in a release. “It’s my job to appoint the best and most qualified people to serve our state — that’s what I have been and will continue doing, regardless of the apparent Republican position that every appointee must agree with them 100 percent of the time to earn their support."

Huebner was appointed by Evers in March 2020, and reappointed to a six-year term beginning in March 2021, according to a press release from Evers. Before serving on the commission, he worked as executive director of RENEW Wisconsin, a statewide renewable energy nonprofit. Before that, Huebner worked at the State of Wisconsin Department of Administration and the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy division.

The Senate approved another appointee to the Public Service Commission, Summer Strand. Another 30 appointees to various boards were also approved.

This is the latest appointee of Evers to be denied by the Republican-controlled Senate. Another seven were rejected in October, including several appointees to the Natural Resources Board, which sets policy for the Department of Natural Resources.

More: Senate Republicans vote down appointees to Natural Resources Board; Evers appoints new members

“These are qualified, hard-working Wisconsinites we’re talking about—they should be celebrated for their service and experience, not bullied, vilified, and fired for simply doing their jobs,” Evers said in the release.

Laura Schulte can be reached at leschulte@jrn.com and on X at @SchulteLaura.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Senate rejects another Evers appointee, this one for the PSC