Senate Confirms Colette Honorable as FERC Commissioner (with Irvin Comment)

The U.S. Senate confirmed Arkansas Public Service Commission Chair Colette Honorable as a Commissioner of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ("FERC").

Ms. Honorable, who has chaired the Arkansas Public Service Commission since 2011 and served as the former president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, will serve for the remainder of former FERC Commissioner John Norris's term, which ends in June 2017.

Irvin Comment: The Senate's confirmation of Commissioner Honorable brings FERC back to a full complement of commissioners. Ms. Honorable's experience as Commissioner and Chair of the Arkansas Public Service Commission, and as President of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners ("NARUC"), makes her a valuable asset for FERC, especially as the agency addresses contentious issues such as gas-electric coordination, the reliability and pricing impact of environmental regulations and anti-manipulation concerns. As impactful as Ms. Honorable's experience proves, the fact that she enjoys the respect and warm support of Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, is equally impressive. Senator Murkowski's views on energy regulation and FERC will figure prominently in the future as the GOP takes control in the coming term.

See: FERC Press Release; Senate Committee Hearing on Nomination of FERC.