story by Roby Brock, with Talk Business & Politics, a content partner with The City Wire
roby@talkbusiness.net
Arkansas Public Service Commission Chairwoman Colette Honorable has been nominated to serve on the five member board of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
The announcement came from a slew of appointments and nominations released by the White House.
Honorable will replace John Norris, who announced his resignation after serving on the FERC board since 2010. Honorable declined to comment when reached by phone on Thursday (Aug. 29).
Honorable will have to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the full Senate.
The powerful FERC is the federal agency that regulates the interstate transmission of electricity, natural gas, and oil. According to its website, FERC also:
• Regulates the transmission and wholesale sales of electricity in interstate commerce;
• Reviews certain mergers and acquisitions and corporate transactions by electricity companies;
• Regulates the transmission and sale of natural gas for resale in interstate commerce;
• Regulates the transportation of oil by pipeline in interstate commerce;
• Approves the siting and abandonment of interstate natural gas pipelines and storage facilities;
• Reviews the siting application for electric transmission projects under limited circumstances;
• Ensures the safe operation and reliability of proposed and operating LNG terminals;
• Licenses and inspects private, municipal, and state hydroelectric projects;
• Protects the reliability of the high voltage interstate transmission system through mandatory reliability standards;
• Monitors and investigates energy markets;
• Enforces FERC regulatory requirements through imposition of civil penalties and other means; and
• Oversees environmental matters related to natural gas and hydroelectricity projects and other matters.
Honorable has served on the PSC since 2007 and has been chair of the three-person panel since 2011. She alsoserves as Chairman of the Board and President of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners.
Previously, she served as executive director of the Arkansas Workforce Investment Board in 2007 and she has worked on the Attorney General’s staff during the administrations of Mike Beebe and Mark Pryor.
Honorable received a bachelor’s degree from Memphis State University and a juris doctorate from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law.
U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., offered the following statement on Honorable’s nomination: “There is no one more qualified for this position than Colette Honorable, and I strongly support her nomination. Colette is a long-time advocate for clean energy and an avid supporter of consumer protection. When I served as Arkansas’s Attorney General, I brought her on as a leading assistant attorney general because of her strong commitment to protecting Arkansans. She has built on this experience with notable leadership at the Arkansas Public Service Commission, National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, and National Petroleum Council. As a FERC Commissioner, these qualities will serve our nation well as demand for efficient, reliable and affordable energy services continues to rise.”