Willie Phillips Becomes First African-American to Chair FERC

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Acting Chairman Willie Phillips. (Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia Annual Report 2016)

Willie Phillips has been named as the new chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

On Jan. 3, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) announced that President Joe Biden had named Willie Phillips as its new acting chairman. Phillips will become the first African-American to serve as the FERC Chairman since its creation 45 years ago. He will take over as acting chairman for departing Chairman Richard Glick, a Republican, who was nominated to the agency by then-President Donald Trump on Nov. 2, 2017.

Previously, Phillips had been serving as chairman of the D.C. Public Service Commission (DCPSC) when he was unanimously confirmed as a new commissioner of the FERC on Nov. 16, 2021.

Glick has offered his “sincere congratulations” to Phillips, saying “the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission functions best when it has a full complement of Commissioners.”

The FERC is an independent agency established within the Department of Energy (DOE) that regulates the interstate transmission of electricity, natural gas, and oil. Its predecessor, the Federal Power Commission (FPC), was created in 1920 under the Federal Water Power Act to oversee hydroelectric projects.

In 1935, the Federal Water Power Act restricted authority of the FPC to regulate transportation and pricing operations related to hydroelectric projects. In 1938, the Natural Gas Act (NGA) gave the FPC the power to regulate interstate gas transportation, which leant it exclusive jurisdiction over the approval of new interstate projects for natural gas transmission. The FPC was replaced by the FERC in 1977 under the Department of Energy Organization Act (pdf).

Phillips thanked Biden for the nomination in what he described as “a pivotal moment.”

“The work we do here at FERC is crucial to ensuring consumers have access to reliable, safe, secure, and efficient energy services at reasonable cost,“ Phillips said. ”I look forward to continuing to work with my fellow Commissioners and the FERC staff, as well as to prioritize public engagement, in pursuit of our important mission.”

In a Jan. 4 statement following the FERC announcement, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said that Phillips “is a supremely qualified and reasonable person and he understands the need to balance affordability and reliability. I am pleased to see the Administration elevate him to lead the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.”

Manchin further noted how Phillips was “unanimously confirmed in an evenly divided Senate two years ago,” an accomplishment he called “a testament to his qualifications, experience, and ability to bridge divides.”

“As implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act continues, I look forward to working with Acting Chairman Phillips in his new position as we pursue an all-of-the-above energy policy that will enhance our national and economic security,” Manchin said.

The Black Economic Alliance and Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies last month urged Biden to tap Phillips as FERC’s first Black chairperson. Phillips, they wrote, is “uniquely qualified to serve as chair and to advance your administration’s goals to promote environmental justice, address climate change and regulate the transmission of energy across our country.”

The shift in leadership comes as the FERC is grappling with natural gas project review policies and participating in a joint investigation with the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) into operation failures of bulk power systems last month, which caused power outages for millions across the country during the record cold temperatures of Winter Storm Elliott.

Prior to his time as chairman of the DCPSC, Phillips served as assistant general counsel for the D.C.-based North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC). Before that, Phillips worked for two law firms advising clients on energy regulatory compliance and policy matters. Phillips also served on the board of directors for the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) and the Organization of PJM States (OPSI), and has served as president of the Mid-Atlantic Conference of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (MACRUC) and held leadership roles on advisory councils, such as the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) Advisory Council.

Phillips has a Juris Doctor from Howard University School of Law and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Montevallo. He currently lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife and two children.