June 15, 2010 - 14:00 AMT
Christopher Mahon: U.S. regulator to help RA PSRC avoid mistakes

Christopher Mahon, the Senior Program Officer of International Programs of the U.S. National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), said that his pioneer visit to Armenia serves as a ground for moving forward. “As a second step, Armenia will choose delegation members, who will visit Iowa to continue discussions on bilateral cooperation,” Mr. Mahon told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

According to him, the cooperation is aimed at application of best methods for monitoring of quality of standards and services, as well as engineering standards. “Based on the results of the Armenian delegation’s visit, a program of cooperation between Iowa and the Armenian Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC) will be designed to meet these needs,” Mr. Mahon added.

Referring to problems in the energy field regulation, in which Iowa has broad experience, he said that the U.S. has been regulating this field for 100 years, while it is a new function for Armenia. “The Armenian PSRC continues applying new methods of regulation, and we are willing to help the country avoid mistakes,” he concluded.