Enforcement experience and a prior Senate confirmation are
features of President Obama's choice to replace Jon Wellinghoff
as a FERC Commissioner and Chairman. Norman Bay, the nominee,
currently serves as the Director of the Office of Enforcement at
FERC and was previously the U.S. Attorney for the District of New
Mexico, having been nominated by President Clinton and confirmed by
the Senate in 2000. Bay is a graduate of Harvard Law School and
previously a professor of law at the University of New Mexico
School of Law.
Upon confirmation by the Senate, Bay will replace John
Wellinghoff, whose experience prior to his role on the Commission
involved private energy practice in Nevada where he became
associated with renewable energy and energy efficiency. Wellinghoff
had also been involved as a consumer advocate for representing the
interests of public utility customers before the Nevada Public
Utility Commission.
