Armstrong appoints Jill Kringstad to succeed Fedorchak on North Dakota Public Service Commission

Gov. Kelly Armstrong today appointed Jill Kringstad, manager of business operations for the North Dakota Public Service Commission (PSC), to fill the PSC seat vacated by former commissioner Julie Fedorchak, effective immediately. Fedorchak was elected to Congress in November and sworn in Friday to represent North Dakota in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Kringstad has served as the PSC's manager of business operations since January 2019, overseeing daily business operations, managing administrative staff and assisting the executive director in overall management of the agency. A certified public accountant, Kringstad joined the PSC in 2016 as an accounting and budget specialist. She previously served as a financial services accountant and internal auditor at Basin Electric Power Cooperative in Bismarck from 2013 to 2016 and worked seasonally at Cody Oil and Gas Corp. in Bismarck for five years.

"With more than eight years of service to the Public Service Commission and her private sector experience in the energy and utility industry, Jill Kringstad has the background and knowledge base to serve our citizens well on the PSC. She understands that the success of our state and nation depends on a stable regulatory framework and strong supply of reliable, affordable, dispatchable energy," Armstrong said, also commending Fedorchak for her PSC tenure. "Julie deserves our respect and thanks for her 12 years of exemplary service on the PSC, looking out for the best interests of utility customers and the public interest. We know she will do a fantastic job representing North Dakota in Congress."

Fedorchak had served on the PSC since 2013. She was re-elected to a full six-year term in 2022. Kringstad will serve on the PSC until the November 2026 general election, which will determine who serves the remaining two years of the six-year term through 2028.

A native of Bismarck, Kringstad earned her bachelor's degree in accounting with a minor in economics from Minnesota State University Moorhead in 2012. She served as an intern for U.S. Sen. John Hoeven and U.S. Rep. Rick Berg and, in addition to her PSC and private sector experience, has completed professional coursework in rate regulation, operations and regulation of the natural gas and electricity industries, and fundamentals of utility law and regional transmission organizations. She has served as treasurer of the Bismarck Public Schools Hospitality Fund since 2015.

"I'm thankful to Gov. Armstrong for the opportunity to serve our citizens on the Public Service Commission. The PSC touches the lives of every citizen every day as we fulfill our mission of protecting consumers, the public interest and the environment," Kringstad said. "With broad jurisdiction over several industries, including investor-owned utilities, serving on the PSC comes with significant responsibility and a huge opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of North Dakotans and all Americans through the important role our state plays in U.S. energy security. I look forward to joining Commissioners Christmann and Haugen-Hoffart to continue this important work."

The PSC is a constitutional agency with varying degrees of statutory authority over electric and gas utilities, telecommunications companies, energy plant and transmission siting, railroads, weight and measuring devices, pipeline safety, coal mine reclamation and abandoned mines, and damage prevention. The agency is authorized for 45 full-time employees and has a budget of $21.3 million for the 2023-2025 biennium. The PSC's three commissioners are elected on a statewide basis to staggered six-year terms.