Contact: Regina Davis, rdavis@naruc.org

WASHINGTON (July 28, 2020) —The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners today welcomed the nomination of Commissioner Mark Christie of the Virginia State Corporation Commission, one of the nation’s longest-serving state utility regulators, to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

“NARUC has consistently held the perspective that FERC needs the perspective and experience of state utility regulators,” said NARUC President and Mississippi Commissioner Brandon Presley. “Mark Christie has served on the Virginia State Corporation Commission since 2004, having been elected three times on a bipartisan basis by the Virginia legislature. He has long been active in NARUC and regional organizations such as our Mid-Atlantic regional organization and the Organization of PJM States. In both organizations, his peers elected him president and he served on their boards.

“He has also led NARUC’s training sessions for new commissioners regularly for more than a decade, which have always been well-received by new commissioners from all over the country.”

NARUC Executive Director Greg White added, “As a Michigan regulator, I served with Mark on the OPSI board and saw first-hand how hard he fought to preserve the independence of the PJM Market Monitor, which is critically important to protecting consumers.”

“The Virginia State Corporation now has the national distinction of having one member nominated to FERC and another member, Judge Judy Jagdmann, serving on the NARUC Executive Committee and in line to be a future NARUC president,” added Presley.

In 2018, NARUC passed a resolution urging the Administration to fill open seats at FERC and other federal agencies with state regulators, as they have experience implementing policies that have been the prototype for cutting-edge congressional or federal agency initiatives. Recent NARUC commissioners who have served as FERC commissioners include Tony Clark (North Dakota), Colette Honorable (Arkansas) and Robert Powelson (Pennsylvania).

###

About NARUC

NARUC is a non-profit organization founded in 1889 whose members include the governmental agencies that are engaged in the regulation of utilities and carriers in the fifty States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. NARUC's member agencies regulate telecommunications, energy, and water utilities. NARUC represents the interests of State public utility commissions before the three branches of the Federal government.