President Joe Biden appointed Willie L. Phillips as chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Phillips, who served as acting chair since January 2023, is the first Black person to be named to the position.
FERC, an independent agency established in 1977, regulates the interstate transmission and wholesale of natural gas, oil, electricity, and other energy projects.
Phillips’ tenure will end in 2026. He was appointed a commissioner of the agency in 2021 and has served as acting chair for more than a year. Prior to serving the federal government, Phillips served as chairman of the Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia.
The White House touted Phillips as an “experienced regulatory attorney” with over 20 years of “legal expertise as a utility regulator, in private practice, and as an in-house counsel.”
“I’m thrilled and I want to thank the president for making me chair of FERC. It is the greatest honor of my professional career,” Phillips told theGrio.
He said his chairmanship announcement held a “special meaning” during Black History Month.
“I know it means so much not just to me but to the community,” Phillips said.
In a July 2023 letter to the White House, the Congressional Black Caucus urged Biden to name Phillips as chairman, joining other groups like the Black Economic Alliance, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and the American Association of Blacks in Energy.
Phillips thanked the CBC for their support, which he said “can’t be overstated.”
“The Congressional Black Caucus, in particular, Chairman Steven Horsford and [U.S. Rep.] Jim Clyburn … they have been my greatest supporters and greatest allies and a lot of credit goes to them,” he said.
In Phillips’ appointment, the White House vowed to “tackle the climate crisis, advance environmental justice, and create a clean electricity grid” by 2035.
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