Ige picks researcher for Public Utilities Commission seat

Gov. David Ige appointed Jay Griffin to serve as the third member of a state panel responsible for regulating utilities.

Ige announced Friday that Griffin was his choice for interim member of the Public Utilities Commission. Griffin works as a researcher and faculty member at the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

“We are excited to find a talented individual in Jay Griffin, who has demonstrated expertise and is aligned with our commitment to a 100 percent clean energy future,” Ige said in a statement.

Griffin previously served as chief of policy and research at the PUC under former Chairwoman Mina Morita. During his time at the PUC, Griffin was responsible for overseeing staff and consultants in analyzing state energy policy decisions, such as the state’s long-term power supply plan.

Griffin will serve with Lorraine Akiba and Chairman Randy Iwase. The three members of the PUC regulate the state’s major utilities from energy to water utilities to shippers, such as Hawaiian Electric Co., Hawaii Gas and Young Brothers.

Griffin earned his bachelor’s degree in political economy from Williams College, joint master’s degrees in public policy and environmental management from Duke University, a master’s degree in economics from the University of California at Santa Barbara and a Ph.D. in policy analysis from Pardee Rand Graduate School in Santa Monica in 2008.

Griffin’s interim appointment is effective Monday, but he still needs to be confirmed by the state Senate. His appointment follows the Senate’s rejection of Ige’s previous appointee, Thomas Gorak, who formerly served as chief counsel at the PUC.

In April senators opted not to confirm Gorak’s appointment in a 15-10 floor vote. Gorak, who had been serving as an interim member of the PUC since Ige appointed him in June, was a controversial nominee as he was appointed days before the PUC’s decision to reject Florida-based NextEra Energy Inc.’s $4.3 billion bid to buy Hawaii’s largest electrical utility.

Ige was an outspoken opponent of the NextEra deal, and the PUC voted 2-0 in July to reject NextEra, with Gorak abstaining.