Joseph

What 2006 will bring at FERC is a big unknown. But the year 2005 saw a smooth changing of the guard at FERC as Chairman Joseph Kelliher took over the reins from Pat Wood in mid-year, and was marked by key policy changes and clarifications on the natural gas side, along with agency approval of several key liquefied natural gas (LNG), pipeline and storage projects.

The year 2005 saw a smooth change of the guard at FERC as Chairman Joseph Kelliher took over the reins from Pat Wood in mid-year, and was marked by significant policy changes and clarifications on the natural gas side, along with agency approval of several key liquefied natural gas (LNG), pipeline and storage projects.

FERC Chairman Joseph Kelliher on Tuesday named Susan J. Court, a 23-year veteran of the agency, to be the new director of the Office of Market Oversight and Investigations (OMOI), replacing William Hederman who headed up the office under the administration of former Chairman Pat Wood.

FERC Chairman Joseph Kelliher told an audience of power industry officials last Wednesday that the Commission will not “blindly approve” existing so-called “Version Zero” reliability standards adopted by the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) and then work to improve them over time, assuming that those standards are ultimately submitted to FERC.

FERC Chairman Joseph Kelliher last week said that energy attorneys would be well advised to quickly pick up and read a rule FERC moved to adopt this week. The rule requires that issues raised in pleadings and requests for rehearing be set forth in a separate section entitled “Statement of Issues” listing each issue presented in a separate paragraph and referencing representative precedent on which a filer is relying.

FERC Chairman Joseph Kelliher on Thursday said that energy attorneys would be well advised to quickly pick up and read a rule FERC moved to adopt this week. The rule requires that issues raised in pleadings and requests for rehearing be set forth in a separate section entitled “Statement of Issues” listing each issue presented in a separate paragraph and referencing representative precedent on which a filer is relying.

FERC Chairman Joseph T. Kelliher has named John S. Moot to be the Commission’s General Counsel, effective Sept. 12. Moot will succeed Cynthia Marlette who has been appointed to a new position in which she will oversee the agency’s implementation of requirements under the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Moot comes to FERC from the Washington, DC law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, where he has practiced since 1992 and been a partner for six years. Prior to that, he was an associate attorney at the law firm of Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson & Hand. Moot has represented publicly owned utilities, rural electric cooperatives, investor-owned utilities, wholesale power companies, state regulatory commissions and merchant generators. He received his law degree from American University Washington College of Law in 1988, and his bachelor of arts degree from St. Lawrence University in 1983.

In his first day at the helm of the agency, FERC Chairman Joseph Kelliher on Monday said one of his top priorities will be to review cost-based pricing and market-based policies for natural gas storage. He further noted that he does not favor mandatory reporting of natural gas prices.

Outgoing Chairman Pat Wood essentially passed the baton, sizzling hot from heavy use, to his successor-in-waiting, Commissioner Joseph T. Kelliher, at the close of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s open meeting Thursday.