The committee named Commissioner Boyd as the 2012 winner of the Terry Barnich Award. Mr. Barnich is a former chairman of the Illinois Commerce Commission, who in 2007 served in the State Department in Iraq, providing needed expertise in energy. Mr. Barnich was killed in Fallujah on Memorial Day in 2009. In his honor, the NARUC Committee on International Relations developed the Annual Award Promoting International Cooperation Among Utility Regulators and Development of Professional Regulation in Honor of Terry Barnich. This award recognizes the ongoing commitment of NARUC members to furthering regulatory best practices around the globe. The inaugural recipient of the Terry Barnich Award was Missouri Public Service Commission Chair Kevin Gunn in 2011 for his work in a NARUC-facilitated and U.S. Agency for International Development-funded partnership between the Missouri i PSC and the Moldovan National Agency for Energy Regulation. This year’s recipient, Commissioner David Boyd, is being honored because of his active participation in a NARUC-facilitated Black Sea Regulatory Initiative. The Initiative is funded by USAID. In particular, Commissioner Boyd hosted a 14-member group in Minnesota from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Turkey, and Ukraine in September 2012. The study tour focused on energy efficiency. In April 2012, Commissioner Boyd met with Black Sea participants in Kiev, Ukraine and again in Izmir, Turkey, in October 2012, to speak about U.S. regulators’ role in promoting regional networks, transmission planning and how U.S. regulators hold utilities to public interest standards. Commissioner Boyd contributed to the ideas included in the Principles of Regulation to Promote the Development of Renewable Energy in the Black Sea.

In addition, Commissioner Boyd made numerous contributions to other international programs as a representative of the Minnesota PUC at the World Forum on Energy Regulation V in Quebec in May 2012, as Vice Chairman of the International Confederation of Energy Regulators (ICER) and as a speaker at the Berlin Seminar on Energy Policy.

“Commissioner David Boyd has represented Minnesota, the United States and NARUC in a manner that gives credit to our profession and nation,” said Missouri Public Services Chairman Kevin Gunn. “He has demonstrated exceptional character in all that he does and deserves recognition for his contributions to international cooperation.”

Minnesota Public Utilities Commission Commissioners Phyllis Reha and Betsy Wergin said, “Commissioner Boyd’s knowledge and integrity as a Minnesota commissioner have earned the respect and admiration of his colleagues. His work in 2012 has significantly advanced regulatory best practices globally in the spirit of Commissioner Barnich."

“I am honored to present this award in honor of Terry Barnich to Commissioner Boyd,” said NARUC International Relations Committee Chair David Armstrong of Kentucky. “Terry exemplified the best in public service. He committed his life to the causes he held dear, and proved that it is possible to make a positive difference in the world. Commissioner Boyd is a deserving recipient because of his dedication to making energy regulation work better not only in Minnesota, but across the globe."

About Terry Barnich: Terry Barnich was killed in Fallujah, Iraq, on Memorial Day in 2009 while working as the Deputy Director of the State Department office overseeing U.S. reconstruction projects in Iraq. Mr. Barnich served as Chair of the Illinois Commerce Commission from 1989-1992, and he was an active member of NARUC’s Committee on Telecommunications. He also provided expert testimony on a wide range of regulatory issues as well as authored numerous articles concerning emerging competitive markets.

In 2007, Mr. Barnich volunteered to serve our country in Iraq providing needed expertise in energy. He served as Deputy Director and counsel to the electricity section of the State Department’s Iraq Transition Assistance Office and as legal advisor to the Iraqi Minister of Electricity and later became Deputy Director, overseeing all U.S. State Department reconstruction programs. In these roles, he helped develop the framework to attract future private investment to Iraq. He also served as liaison to policymakers at the U.S. embassy in Iraq and the Iraqi embassy in Washington. In this role, Mr. Barnich was a top consultant when the President, Vice-President, Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, National Security Advisor and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs visited Iraq.

National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners