State regulators appear to be at it again.

The Public Service Commission approved the sale of SC Electric & Gas, costing an undisclosed number of local workers their jobs and losses in their retirement savings.

Now the 7 Public Service Commissioners have hired as a consultant Pegasus Global Holdings which has deep ties to investor-owned power companies.

Hiring Pegasus to advise on new rules for solar power has lawmakers and the state solar industry concerned about a conflict of interest.

The Chronicle has asked Lexington County senators and House members for their views on the issue.

The PSC is being criticized for possible violation of a state law, the Charleston Post and Courier reported.

A new Energy Freedom Act calls for the PSC to hire a “qualified independent 3rd party” to set prices that Dominion Energy – SCE&G’s new owners – will pay for electricity from solar panels, some of them local home and business owners.

Pegasus chairwoman Patricia Galloway served on the board of SCANA, the Lexington County owners of SCE&G before the PSC approved Dominion Energy taking it over this year.

Pegasus received $3 million in 2011 to defend Duke Energy’s handling of a multi-billion-dollar coal-gasification project in Indiana.

Like the nuclear project SCE&G struggled with for 10 years and finally abandoned, the Duke project ran into massive cost overruns and expensive delays.

Pegasus has not responded to emails about its business with Duke and other investor-owned utilities.

Duke and Dominion said they had no role in the PSC’s selection of Pegasus.

Aimée Murray of Dominion said anyone who doesn’t agree with the hiring should let the PSC know.

PSC administrator Jocelyn Boyd said Pegasus was chosen “due to the breadth of their experience.”

She said the PSC was not aware Duke hired Pegasus in the Indiana fiasco but was aware Galloway had served on SCANA’s board.

Galloway made a “commitment that she would not be involved in any way with Pegasus’ consultation with the PSC,” Boyd said.