California’s Gov. Gray Davis re-appointed the newest commissioner on the state energy commission, John Geesman, 51, to a full five-year term. Geesman had been appointed last July to fill out a term of a commissioner who retired early.

Geesman has 25 years of experience in law and public policy, and had previously served on the board of the California Independent System Operator (CAISO). He holds an undergraduate degree from Yale and a law degree from Boalt Hall at the University of California-Berkeley. Geesman once served as the executive director of the energy commission (1979-83) in former Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration, and he chaired the board of the now-defunct California Power Exchange.

Officially named the California Energy Resources and Development Commission, the five-member panel serves as the state’s primary energy policy/planning agency. It is charged with “ensuring a reliable and affordable energy supply” and does the siting of all electric generating plants 50 MW or larger. The governor appoints commissioners to five-year staggered terms, and each member must represent one of five categories: law, economics, environment, science/engineering and the general public.

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