Jon Wellinghoff
| Jon Wellinghoff | |
|---|---|
| Acting Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission | |
|
In office January 20, 2009 – March 19, 2009 |
|
| President | Barack H. Obama II |
| Preceded by | Joseph Kelliher |
| Succeeded by | Cheryl A. LaFleur |
| Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission | |
|
In office March 19, 2009 – November 25, 2013 |
|
| President | Barack H. Obama II |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
May 30, 1949 Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse(s) | Karen Galatz |
| Relations | 4 children, 3 grandchildren |
| Alma mater |
University of Nevada, Reno Howard University Antioch School of Law |
Jon Wellinghoff (born May 30, 1949) is an American attorney who served as the chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) from 2009 to 2013. The FERC is a U.S. government agency that regulates the interstate transmission of electricity, natural gas, and oil. The FERC also reviews proposals to build liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals and interstate natural gas pipelines and licenses hydropower projects.
Wellinghoff's work in energy-related fields has included renewable integration, plug-in electric vehicles, and the modernization of the American electric grid. In November 2013, Wellinghoff stepped down from his post as the 13th FERC chairman.
Wellinghoff was born in Santa Monica, California on May 30, 1949, and moved to Reno, Nevada, at the age of four. He attended the University of Nevada-Reno, earning a B.S. in mathematics in 1971. The following year he earned a Master's degree in teaching mathematics from Howard University and stayed in Washington, D.C., to attend Antioch School of Law where he earned his J.D. in 1975.
Wellinghoff returned to Nevada where he would specialize in energy law for more than 30 years. In private practice, he focused exclusively on cases pertaining to renewable energy and energy efficiency, causes he continued to promote as FERC Chairman. He was the primary author of Nevada’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), one of two state RPS programs to receive an “A” rating from the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Wellinghoff has also held a variety of positions in the public sector, providing legal counsel on energy issues to, among others, the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee, the Federal Trade Commission and the Nevada Public Utility Commission.
Consumer protection was another hallmark of Wellinghoff’s career prior to joining FERC. In his hometown of Reno, he held the position of Deputy District Attorney in the Washoe County District Attorney’s Consumer Fraud division. His work on behalf of consumers helped make him Nevada’s first Consumer Advocate for customers of public utilities. In that role, he argued for the public in cases before FERC, the Nevada Supreme Court and what is now the Nevada Public Utility Commission.
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