Gov. Neil Abercrombie said Thursday he will keep Hermina Morita as chairwoman of the Public Utilities Commission after her term ends June 30.
In February, state Sen. Roz Baker, Senate Consumer Protection Committee chairwoman, said she was told by an Abercrombie staff member that the governor did not intend to reappoint Morita.
A group of 24 state lawmakers led by Baker sent Abercrombie a letter Feb. 21 asking him to reconsider his decision on Morita.
More recently Morita made headlines when it was disclosed that she and her husband were being investigated by the Board of Land and Natural Resources for allegedly building and operating an illegal Hanalei bed-and-breakfast. Abercrombie said Morita will continue to serve while the board looks into the B&B issue.
Friday is the deadline for the governor to submit nominees to the state Senate for consideration in the current session.
"We are at a very critical juncture in developing our clean energy future, and the Public Utilities Commission needs stability to continue to address many of the important regulatory issues before it," Abercrombie said in a prepared statement. "Therefore, I intend to keep Mina Morita as chair of the PUC, on a holdover basis beyond June 30, 2014, when her term ends."
"At the present time, Chair Morita has business before the Board of Land and Natural Resources, which must be addressed," Abercrombie said. "She will continue to serve in the position while these issues are being resolved."
Hawaii law allows the governor to keep an appointee beyond the end of the appointee’s term on a "holdover" basis until a successor is nominated and confirmed by the Senate. A "holdover" appointee cannot hold office past the end of the second regular legislative session after the expiration of the appointee’s term of office.
Morita, a former seven-term state representative who was intrustmental in passing major energy legislation, was appointed by Abercrombie in 2011 to head the PUC.
