Dive Summary:
- Thursday, President Barack Obama nominated the next chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission -- Ronald Binz -- the former head of Colorado's Public Utilities Commission and a champion of renewables criticized by the coal industry as an extension of Obama’s “war on coal.”
- As head of the Colorado commission between 2007 and 2011, Binz drove the implementation of regulations to have utilities increase the amount of renewables used to generate electricity, in addition to controversial legislation offering utilities extra incentives to close coal-fired plants.
- Ben Fowke, chairman of Xcel Energy Inc., strongly supports the nomination of Binz. "His understanding of the regulatory process makes him uniquely qualified to address the diverse set of issues facing utilities in the U.S., from grid modernization to carbon regulation,” Fowke says.
From the article:
... “As chairman of the FERC, Binz would lead an agency that oversees the interstate transmission of electricity and natural gas, among other issues. The position requires Senate confirmation.” ...
