FERC
Former Utility Exec Takes FERC Seat
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has returned to its full five-member strength with the arrival of Commissioner Cheryl LaFleur, a former investor-owned utility executive with more than two decades of experience in the electric and natural gas industry.
Cheryl LaFleur
LaFleur, a Democrat, was sworn in on July 13, for the balance of a FERC term expiring June 30, 2014. She succeeds former commissioner Suedeen Kelly.
The new commissioner retired in 2007 as executive vice president and acting chief executive officer of National Grid USA, which delivers electricity to some 3.4 million customers in the Northeast.
Her previous positions with the company, and its predecessor, New England Electric System, included chief operating officer, president of the New England distribution companies and general counsel.
According to her FERC biography, LaFleur helped lead the company through several regulatory and corporate transformations, including the deregulation of energy supply, the transition to performance-based ratemaking and several mergers.
“Earlier in her career,” it added, “she was responsible for leading award-winning conservation and demand response programs.”
The bio also noted LaFleur’s leadership in the growth of energy efficiency, the introduction of competitive energy markets, the development of strategies for environmental improvement and efforts to strengthen reliability and safety.
“We look forward to Commissioner LaFleur settling in at FERC and to letting her know about all the good things that electric co-ops are doing,” said Rich Meyer, NRECA senior regulatory counsel.
“We most want her to appreciate that co-ops are not part of the problems, like undue discrimination, that FERC seeks to address,” Meyer added. “And co-ops have a positive record on the initiatives the commission has been pursuing, like demand response and the smart grid, implementing them for the benefit of consumers.”