Saint Paul – Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the reappointment of Dr. David C. Boyd, Ph.D., to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC).

Boyd, of Lakeville, has been a commissioner on the PUC since July 2007, and chair of the PUC since July 2008. Previously, he was a professor of chemistry and chair of the Chemistry Department at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, where he taught from 1989 to 2007. Boyd earned his doctorate degree in inorganic chemistry from the University of Minnesota in 1987 and his bachelor of arts degree in chemistry and biology from St. Olaf College in Northfield in 1982.

Boyd is a member of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, where he serves on the Electricity Committee, Subcommittee on Clean Coal and Carbon Sequestration, and Subcommittee on Nuclear Issues-Waste Disposal; Nuclear Waste Strategy Coalition, where he is a member of the Executive Committee; American Chemical Society, where he is a member of the Minnesota Section and the Division of Inorganic Chemistry, and has been a member of a number of other professional associations. He is also active in his community, where he is a member of Ducks Unlimited, has served in various capacities with the Boy Scout and Cub Scouts, Lakeville youth association sports coach, and Helping Paws of Minnesota.

Boyd is appointed to a full six-year term on the PUC that expires on January 5, 2015.

The Public Utilities Commission is comprised of five commissioners who serve in full-time, paid positions at an annual salary of $88,448. The PUC regulates the rates and services of electric, natural gas and telephone companies. The Commission acts through public hearings, contested case hearings, rule-making hearings, and informal complaint resolutions.