by Donald Eng CTNewsJunkie
HARTFORD, CT — Rehabbing the relationship between public utility companies and the state agency that regulates them is one of the priorities of the reformed Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) chairman.
At an introductory news conference at the state Capitol Monday, Thomas Wiehl, who Gov. Ned Lamont named as the authority’s new chair, said the relationship between PURA and the utility companies had “gotten to the point where it should be improved.”
Lamont himself said he was looking forward to a calmer regulatory environment, too, saying it was time to “get PURA off the front page of the paper.”
At Monday’s news briefing, Lamont introduced Wiehl, who is currently the legal and regulatory director for the state Office of Consumer Counsel (OCC), as his pick to chair the authority. Wiehl and the three other nominees still must have their nominations confirmed, but will begin serving on an interim basis.
“These four nominees have an extensive amount of expertise and a diverse set of experience in energy and utilities,” Lamont said.
Lamont described PURA’s role as being “centered on the understanding that utility companies all provide an essential public service that everybody depends on, and we must have an independent authority providing careful, rigorous oversight to ensure that these services are safe and reliable and that the consumers paying for them are doing so at just and reasonable rates.”
PURA Vice Chair David Arconti, who also attended the briefing, said he thought the addition of four new members “reflects a balance of technical expertise and policy insight that will strengthen PURA’s mission to serve the public interest.”
Before his current role in the OCC, Wiehl was the agency’s director for utility oversight and regulatory reform. He previously served as a vice president and general counsel for Consumers Petroleum of Milford, and was a public defender in Massachusetts.
The other three nominees are Janice Beecher, Holly Cheeseman, and Everett Smith. Wiehl described the three plus Arconti as possibly the most qualified regulatory panel in the country.
Beecher is the former director of the Institute of Public Utilities at Michigan State and has served as editor in chief of the journal, “Utilities Policy” for the past decade.
She previously held staff positions at the Illinois Commerce Commission (the state’s utility regulator), Ohio State University, and Indiana University, and has experience in public policy consulting, Lamont said.
Cheeseman is the former executive director of the Niantic Children’s Museum and served four terms as a state representative from the 37th District, representing East Lyme, Montville, and Salem. She was a member of the Energy and Technology Committee and had been floated by House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora as a possible member of PURA’s board.
Smith is a specialist investor in energy and sustainable infrastructure projects, Lamont said. He spent 15 years at GE Capital in Connecticut and Singapore, as managing director and executive vice president in the GE Capital Structured Finance Group, the unit responsible for GE’s energy and infrastructure investment activities, Lamont said.
In response to a question, Lamont said he had spoken to several legislators about the group’s confirmations, and did not anticipate any problems.
Republican House and Senate leaders issued a joint statement Monday, calling the nominations a chance for a fresh start for PURA, and a potential reset for Lamont.
“After six years, Governor Lamont has finally complied with state law and filled all vacancies on the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority,” according to the statement. “Connecticut ratepayers have endured enough drama — they want lower electric bills, not bureaucratic chaos.”
The statement was signed by Candelora, Senate Minority Leader Stephen Harding of Brookfield, and the ranking Republicans on the Energy and Technology Committee, Rep. Tracy Marra of Darien and Sen. Ryan Fazio of Greenwich.
State Sen. Norm Needleman, D-Essex, the committee’s Senate chair, also issued a statement wishing the new commissioners well.
“I hope that in their work, these nominees remember to consider the stability of Connecticut and New England’s energy grid and the companies that manage it alongside the necessary efforts to keep state utilities accountable for their work, ensuring ratepayers get good value for their rateholder funds,” he wrote.
Prior to the nominations, PURA had only two members: Arconti and Michael Caron, who has served on the board since 2012 and whose term had expired. Caron has announced his retirement effective later this year.
The board’s previous chair, Marissa Gillett, who had been a frequent target of utility companies and legislative Republicans, resigned effective Oct. 10 citing the emotional toll the position exacted on her family.
Gillett also recently came under fire after she revealed in court that she had deleted text messages related to an ongoing lawsuit challenging cuts to gas rates. The deletion, which her attorney said was due to an auto-delete feature on Gillett’s phone and not intentional, sparked concerns about her commitment to transparency.
Advocates at the Connecticut Citizen Action Group (CCAG) also celebrated the announcement, releasing the following statement:
“CCAG is encouraged with the announcement today by Governor Lamont of new commissioners to the PURA Board. It seems clear that Governor Lamont has stood up to the bullying by Eversource and United Illuminating. We are confident that Tom Wiehl will build off of the great work of his predecessor, Marissa Gillett, to protect consumers and make progress toward our clean energy goals. Jan Beecher, another appointee, has an excellent reputation in consumer and environmental circles, while Everett Smith brings a new perspective that might serve us well.”