Direct Testimony of Thomas M. Hildebrand - Consumer Advocate ...

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Q. WHAT TYPES OF PROGRAMS DID YOU MANAGE?
A. Please see Attachment 1.
Q. WHAT QUALIFIES YOU AS AN EXPERT BEFORE THE WV PSC AS THEY
CONSIDER THE REQUEST FOR PERMIT TO CONSTRUCT THE TRANS-
ALLEGHENY INTERSTATE LINE (TRAIL)?
A. An expert is a person with a high degree of skill or knowledge of a specific subject. If
you asked me how to design and build an electrical transmission network, I certainly
don’t have that skill or knowledge. That’s ok because we have plenty of experts who can
speak to that. On the other hand, I do have considerable knowledge of alternate
approaches to TrAIL. Compared to the general public, I consider myself an expert
because I’ve spent more than 500 hours studying, researching, and working this issue
over the last 12- 18 months and I know more about it than the vast majority of the general
public.
PURPOSE OF TESTIMONY
Q. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF YOUR TESTIMONY?
A. Provide important relevant facts and information to the WV Public Service
Commissioners.
Q. FOR EVIDENCE INCLUDED IN YOUR TESTIMONY, WHAT CRITERIA DID
YOU APPLY?
A. I believe the Public Service Commission exercises some flexibility to accept evidence
it considers helphl for deciding on issues such as TrAIL. My approach was to only
include information in my testimony that met three important standards: 1) The
information had to be highly relevant to this case; 2) The information had to be from
reputable subject matter experts; 3) The information needed to have a clear message. In
other words, the statements were unambiguous with respect to the subject matter expert’s
intent. I only included supporting material that met all three criteria.
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