One thing I admire about younger generations is how engaged they are with electronics

And they display no fear of facing new challenges.

So, let me invite you on a little magical tour of my own, by way of the Public Service Commission.

You may groan at the thought, but the Commission truly touches each of you in many ways every day. Paying attention to what we do is very important to you, and could become habit-forming.

And we all like to be in the know, and there is no better place for that than here.

As with many mysteries, one needs the key to unlock the puzzle. In this case, you need to go to our website. It is www.psc.state.wv.us

Now get ready for a treat.

Come down the left-hand side to where the screen says “daily incoming documents.”

Click on that.

A calendar comes up for the current month with the current day highlighted.

Click on the highlighted day.

Then push “submit”.

Go on. Try it. The PSC world is about to open for you.

This screen displays every item filed with the Commission on that day, or any other day if you click on another date.

We start with “new cases,” which shows every new case filed that day.

The “Incoming documents” section shows you every item that has been filed with the Commission on that day.

Each entry tells you who filed the document, its case number, and briefly what it is about. And, if you click on “view document,” you can see everything in detail.

Then comes the “joint staff memos”.

Again, click on the view document.

This details every recommendation made by our staff to the commissioners in pending cases. These memos are highly instructive on how the legal, engineering and financial staff look at cases.

If you have a case pending, you can see what is being recommended.

Next comes “daily orders”.

Scroll down to see what orders the Commission has issued that day.

This is the heart of our operation since the Commission speaks only through its orders.

And here you can open and read every order issued that day.

I think if you play around with this a little bit, you will be fascinated by what you can learn about cases before the Commission.

Give it a try. There’s a lot of information there every day, and I think you’ll like being in the know.

(Lane is chair of the West Virginia Public Service Commission)