President Trump Elevates Christie to FERC Chair

Among his first actions on January 20, President Trump appointed Mark Christie as Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Chairman Christie was confirmed as a FERC commissioner in 2020, near the beginning of the first Trump administration, and is serving a term that expires this year on June 30 (absent renomination). He replaces Chairman Willie Phillips, who may continue to serve as a FERC commissioner until his term expires in 2026.

Chairman Christie is one of two Republicans serving on the five-member FERC; the remaining members are Democrats. Throughout his tenure on the FERC, Chairman Christie has been a strong advocate for state utility commission authority and representation, including with regard to transmission planning and energy markets governance. He has also taken pointed positions on certain ratepayer issues, such as transmission cost allocation and transparency in upstream ownership of public utilities. In addition, Chairman Christie has repeatedly called on the FERC to revisit its transmission rate incentive policies. These and other pressing issues—such as further interconnection reform, policies regarding large loads co-located behind generating resources, and associated reliability and cost allocation issues—are likely to be front and center for FERC in the coming years.

All eyes are now on former Chairman Phillips and whether he will choose to stay at the FERC as a commissioner for the remainder of his term. It is not uncommon for former chairs to leave the FERC before their term ends after an administration change. However, Commissioner Phillips may wish to stay out his term to cement his signature transmission planning and interconnection reforms through pending compliance filings that implicate major regions of the United States.