On January 4, 2021, Mark C. Christie was sworn in as FERC’s newest Commissioner. The Senate previously confirmed the nomination of Commissioner Christie, along with the nomination of now-current-Commissioner Allison Clements, in a late night voice vote on November 30, 2020 (see December 8, 2020 edition of the WER). With the swearing in of Commissioner Christie, FERC now has a full five-member Commission with three Republicans (Chairman Danly and Commissioners Chatterjee and Christie) and two Democrats (Commissioners Clements and Glick).
FERC also issued a press release noting Commissioner Christie’s three terms, totaling nearly 17 years, with the Virginia State Corporation Commission, where he most recently served as Chairman. FERC’s press release also notes that Commissioner Christie was previously the president of the Organization of PJM States, Inc., which is comprised of regulators representing the 13 states and the District of Columbia that form the PJM region, as well as the Mid-Atlantic Conference of Regulatory Utilities Commissioners (MACRUC).
Commissioner Christie is originally from West Virginia. He graduated from Wake Forest University and received his law degree from Georgetown University. A copy of FERC’s press release is available here.
Upon taking oath of office to FERC, Commissioner Christie thanked, among others, his wife Anita and his fellow commissioners and staff at the Virginia State Corporation Commission. Commissioner Christie’s remarks are available here.