FERC Commissioner Linda K. Breathitt was feted by her colleagues at last Wednesday’s regular Commission meeting, which she acknowledged was “very likely to be my last.”

A five-year veteran of the agency, Breathitt’s term officially ended last June, but she has been serving out a grace period that came to a close on Friday when Congress adjourned for the year. Her departure will leave two vacancies at the five-member Commission — the first of which was created when former Chairman Curt Hebert Jr. left in mid-2001.

Chairman Pat Wood called Breathitt a “smart, sweet, Southern belle,” whose “sense of balance” and “gentle reach onto my belt” has kept him from “jumping out the window” at times. “I’m not sure this is your last meeting, but I’m not going to miss a shot at doing this,” he said, in presenting her with an award for a “distinguished career” at FERC.

“We consulted with the attorneys [at FERC] about what’s happening in the Congress, and we think that they’re going out sine die [at the end of the session]. So it’s very likely to be my last meeting,” Breathitt said. Some at the Commission had hoped lawmakers would extend Breathitt’s term until a replacement was found and confirmed by the Senate.

Breathitt said she was confident Wood would “continue to lead this agency as a body of three until it gets new [commissioners].” In May, President Bush nominated Joseph T. Kelliher, a senior policy advisor at the Department of Energy (DOE), to succeed Breathitt at the agency, but the nomination has been stalled in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which has jurisdiction over FERC nominees (see NGI, May 6). The White House has not nominated a candidate to replace Hebert, a Republican.

Commissioner William Massey referred to Breathitt as the “moderate voice” on the Commission, and “my lone fellow Democrat.”

During her tenure, Breathitt helped the Commission with the implementation of the Order 888 electricity restructuring, to further the development of regional transmission organizations, make independent transmission companies a “reality,” and deal with the California energy crisis. The latter issue has “consumed” the Commission more than any other issue at the agency, she said.

Breathitt, a former Kentucky regulator, did not indicate what she intends to do after she leaves FERC, but said she plans to remain in the Washington, DC area.

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