2024 Boards and Commissions

Nebraska Power Review Board

General Information

Formal Name:Nebraska Power Review Board
Contact Person:Tim Texel
Purpose:The Board's purpose is to oversee Nebraska's electric industry to ensure that Nebraska's residents receive adequate, reliable electric service at the lowest overall cost possible using sound business practices, to eliminate conflict and competition between electric suppliers, to eliminate duplication of facilities and resources among electric suppliers, and to provide an administrative forum to address service area disputes and rate disputes between electric suppliers, and in limited circumstances, between an electric utility and its customers.
How Many Affectable:All Nebraska residents.
How Many Served:The Board deals directly with a limited number of utility customers, but ultimately the Board serves all Nebraska residents.
Year Created:1963
Year Active:1963
Sunset Date:Not Applicable

Authorization

Authorization Citation:Neb. Rev. Stat. section 70-1003
Parent Agency:None

Memberships and Meetings

Number Of Members:Five
Who Appoints:Governor
Legislative Approval:Yes, Legislative confirmation is required.
Qualifications Of Members:One member must be an attorney, and one member must be an engineer. Not more than three members can be registered in the same political party as the Governor. No more than one person on the Board may have been a director, officer, employee or elected state officer within the four years preceding his or her appointment.
Per Diem:Four of the five members receive $100 per diem. The member designated to represent Nebraska on the Southwest Power Pool's Regional State Committee receives $250 per diem.
Expense Reimbursement:Actual expenses and per diems for meals.
Term Length:Four years
Terms Rotate or Expire At Once:Terms Rotate

Meetings Required In:

Required FY 21-22:No required number of meetings.
Held FY 21-22:11
Required FY 22-23:No required number of meetings.
Held FY 22-23:8
Required FY 23-24:No required number of meetings.
Held FY 23-24:10

Operations

Support Staff:Three
Shared or Separate:Separate
FY 21-22 Budget:$662,235
FY 22-23 Budget:$667,982
FY 23-24 Budget:$677,646
Other Funding Sources:Funding is entirely from assessments on electric utilities operating in Nebraska. The Board does not receive any funding from the State's general fund or federal funding.
Spending Authority:Neb. Rev. Stat. section 70-1020

Accomplishments

Since July 1, 2020:In 2018 the Board completely redesigned its website to allow for numerous additional functions and options to provide users with information. Among other changes, the website now includes an archive of all board meeting minutes from December 2017 to the present. The Board also added the ability for users to review all orders issued by the Board that involved a hearing. In May 2020 the Board began livestreaming all its public meetings on Webex. The public and electric utilities can both observe and provide comments using the Webex system. This allows utilities (or the public) that live far from Lincoln (where the Board's meetings are normally held) the ability to watch Board meetings or ask or answer questions, without the need to drive hours to attend a Board meeting in person. This function has been well-received by the utilities and members of the public. From July 2016 to June 2024 the Board held 15 formal evidentiary hearings, approved 40 transmission or distribution lines over 12 mile in length, 38 amendments to public power district charters, and 34 amendments to utility retail service area agreements. The Board also administratively approved 139 transmission or distribution lines less than 12 mile in length.