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Statement by FERC Chairman Joseph T. Kelliher

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Joseph T. Kelliher today issued the following statement:

“Today I announce my intention to step down as chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), effective January 20, 2009. Although my term as commissioner does not end until 2012, I will also immediately begin to recuse myself from FERC business, as I explore other career opportunities.

“It has been an honor to serve as chairman of FERC at this particular time, with the expanded power granted the agency in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. This law gave FERC better tools to discharge its historic missions of guarding the consumer from exploitation and promoting the development of a robust energy infrastructure, as well as giving the agency new missions on grid reliability and enforcement. It has been a privilege to exercise this new authority and define these new missions.

“I thank President Bush for giving me this opportunity to serve the public.”

The text of Chairman Kelliher’s letter to President Bush follows.

Dear Mr. President:

I am writing to inform you of my intention to step down as chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), effective January 20, 2009. It has been an honor to serve as FERC chairman for the past three and a half years.

Your Administration made great progress in the development of sound energy policy for this country. Eight years ago, the country confronted electricity blackouts in California, market manipulation, low grid investment, declining natural gas production, and other challenges. Your Administration made great progress in meeting these challenges.

I was pleased to work on the development of the National Energy Policy, which led to enactment of the bipartisan Energy Policy Act of 2005. This law represents the most important change in the laws FERC administers since the New Deal, and gave the agency the new regulatory tools it needed to meet today’s challenges. The Energy Policy Act became law because of your leadership and your persistence.

As FERC chairman, it has been my pleasure to exercise this new authority to guard the consumer, promote development of a strong energy infrastructure, assure reliability, and conduct effective enforcement.

I thank you for the privilege of serving the public as FERC chairman.


Sincerely,

Joseph T. Kelliher
Chairman
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission



R-09-1

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