FERC At 40: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) opened its doors on October 1, 1977. FERC was created by the DOE Organization Act, and replaced the Federal Power Commission (FPC), which had been in business for almost half a century. FERC has been a centerpiece of federal energy policy ever since, overseeing the transition of much of the energy industry to competition, and continuing to perform the FPC’s more traditional, pre-1977 functions.

To celebrate this auspicious anniversary (and to breathe a sigh of relief for the end of the Commission’s quorum-less purgatory), we’re holding a mini-birthday party at our offices on September 12, from 8:00 to 10:30 a.m. Breakfast will be served. The conference will be short, informal, untaped and off the record, and will feature a panel of FERC staff and alums from all phases of its forty-year history.

The focus of the session will be an overview of the Commission’s agenda and priorities, now that the quorum has been reestablished. We’re also trying to flavor the meeting with some historical perspective, and so have included panelists from every phase of the Commission’s history over the past forty years. Our panelists (in FERC-chronological order) are:

Ross Ain – an original member of the new FERC office of the general counsel; currently Managing Director and Executive Vice President of Caithness Energy, L.L.C.

Joe Kelliher – former FERC Chairman; currently Executive Vice President, Federal Regulatory Affairs, NextEra Energy

Jamie Simler – former Chief of Staff to FERC Chairman Norman Bay, former Director of the Office of Energy Market Regulation; currently Director, Federal Regulatory Affairs, Ameren

Steven Wellner – Legal Advisor to Commissioner Cheryl LaFleur; served as Acting Chief of Staff during FERC’s recent non-quorum period.

We hope you will be able to attend.