NARUC appoints two new chairs for committee on electricity, pipeline safety subcommittee

New chairs joined the leadership at the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) last week, when North Carolina Commissioner Kim Duffley and Texas Railroad Commissioner Jim Wright were appointed as replacements.

Their roles place them at the helm of the Committee on Electricity and the Subcommittee on Pipeline Safety, respectively, as doled out by NARUC President Michael Caron. Duffley replaced Minnesota Commissioner Matt Schuerger, while Wright replaced Georgia Commissioner Tricia Pridemore.

“I am honored to be appointed to lead the Committee on Electricity during this dynamic and critical time. I look forward to engaging with my fellow commissioners to promote effective regulation to serve the public interest,” Duffley said.

In Duffley’s case, the new role on the electricity committee followed a career that included time as an senior staff attorney and was an assistant attorney general in the Environmental Division of the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office. She has also served as a commissioner at the North Carolina Utilities Commission since 2019. At NARUC, she previously maintained a leadership role as the co-vice chair of the committee on electricity and she remains co-chair of the Federal-State Joint Task Force on Electric Transmission, among other memberships.

Meanwhile, Wright’s appointment to the pipeline safety subcommittee followed work on the NARUC committee on gas. Outside of NARUC, he has been on the Railroad Commission of Texas since 2020 and owns oilfield services companies.

“It is an honor to be appointed as Chairman of NARUC’s Subcommittee on Pipeline Safety,” Wright said. “Ensuring the safe and reliable delivery of energy to consumers and market participants is vital to the continued success of our national economy. I look forward to working with my fellow committee members to discuss the current challenges facing our nation’s critical infrastructure and consider how emerging technologies and fuel sources may impact pipeline safety in the future.”

Both commissioners took on their new roles on September 15. There, they will propose resolutions to set association policy on congressional, federal and industry matters, as well as promote education and panel discussions for relevant issues.