Phillips named FERC chair after year of acting role

Today, President Joe Biden announced Willie L. Phillips, Jr. as chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), after he had served more than a year as acting chair.

Phillips has served as a FERC commissioner since November 17, 2021, and as acting chair since January 3, 2023. Phillips succeeded Rich Glick, who lost his bid for a new term after Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) expressed concern over Glick’s environmental initiatives and some of the Biden administration’s green commitments.

Phillips most recently served as chairman of the Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia, named to that role in 2018. He served on the commission since 2014. He is a regulatory attorney with nearly 20 years of legal expertise in public and private practice, including a background in public utility regulation, bulk power system reliability, and corporate governance.

Before being appointed to the DCPSC, Phillips was assistant general counsel for the North American Electric Reliability Corporation in Washington, D.C. Before joining NERC, he also worked for two law firms, where he advised clients on energy regulatory compliance and policy matters.

Phillips has also served on the boards of several organizations, including the board of directors for the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners and the Organization of PJM States (OPSI). He also has served as president of the Mid-Atlantic Conference of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, and he has held leadership roles on several advisory councils, including the Electric Power Research Institute Advisory Council.

Originally published in POWERGRID International.