Colette Honorable Formally Takes Spot On FERC

Chris Hickey with our content partner, KUAR FM 89.1 reports:

The former chairwoman of Arkansas’ Public Service Commission now holds a position on the influential Federal Energy and Regulatory Commission, also known as FERC. An investiture ceremony for Honorable was held at the federal courthouse in Little Rock Friday (Jan. 9).

Honorable was appointed to the commission by President Barack Obama late last year. In her remarks, she recounted how her nomination and confirmation in the U.S. Senate came down to the wire, as Congress was concluding its business. Honorable thanked those who’ve worked with her in the past, including Senators Mark Pryor and John Boozman, who helped get her confirmed at the last minute.

“They were on the floor and [Senator Pryor] would call and say ‘hey’, I think we’re going to get out a vote tonight. Senator Boozman would have staff call… Senator Pryor sent a text when I got out on the cloture motion. He told me the vote total and then sent a text, ‘you go, girl,” Honorable recounted to laughter from onlookers.

Both Senators Boozman and Pryor attended Honorable’s investiture ceremony, each giving speeches praising her work and integrity. State Representative Darrin Williams, Governor Mike Beebe and Attorney General Dustin McDaniel gave remarks.

As part of the 5-member commission, Honorable will regulate power transmission infrastructure, electricity rate setting, pipelines across the nation. She said her nomination showed a spirit of bipartisanship generally lacking in the U.S.

“And it made me prouder to see the way that they worked…on behalf of Arkansas and what it would mean more broadly for the South and ultimately for the nation,” Honorable said.

Recently as chairwoman of the state PSC, Honorable and the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality have been holding meetings to assess how the state can deal with a power plant emissions reduction target as proposed by the Obama administration and the Environmental Protection Agency.