On June 28, 2013, President Barack Obama announced the nomination of Colorado’s Ron Binz to become a FERC Commissioner, taking the seat of outgoing Chairman Jon Wellinghoff who announced his resignation last May (see May 31, 2013 edition of the WER). The White House also announced that upon his appointment, the President will designate Binz to serve as the Commission’s Chairman. Binz’s appointment to the Commission will require Senate confirmation.
Binz is currently a public policy consultant in the areas of energy and telecommunications, and a Senior Policy Advisor at the Center for the New Energy Economy at Colorado State University. Prior to that, Binz served as Chairman of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission from 2007-2011. Binz also served as the President and Policy Director at the Competition Policy Institute, and the Director of the Colorado Office of Consumer Counsel. Binz holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Saint Louis University, and a Master of Arts in Mathematics from the University of Colorado.
A copy of the White House press release is available here.