Contact: Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, Daniel P. Wolf
Telephone: 651.201.2217
Fax: 651.297.7073

St. Paul, Minnesota - Minnesota Public Utilities Commissioner Phyllis Reha has been named a member of the Electricity Advisory Committee (EAC) of the United States Department of Energy. The appointment to the EAC was made by United States Secretary of Energy Steven Chu.

The U. S. Department of Energy has charged the EAC with providing valuable insight and advice regarding means by which the country can modernize the delivery of electricity throughout the nation. Possible strategies in this regard include implementing Smart Grid technologies, updating transmission infrastructure, developing energy storage capabilities, and integrating renewable energy resources. In addition, participating in EAC activities allows its members to develop knowledge and expertise on these issues across the country. The EAC coordinates its activities with the Department of Energy through the Assistant Secretary for Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability. 

As a member of the EAC, Commissioner Reha will bring her particular perspective as a state commissioner and can provide insight on the regulation of emerging technologies. Commissioner Reha has substantial expertise on many aspects of electricity, particularly energy resources. Her appointment is for a two-year term ending June 1, 2014. 

Commissioner Reha will be attending her first session of the EAC next week in Washington, DC and will be meeting with Secretary Chu. 

Commissioner Reha is the Vice-Chair of the Commission and has served as the Acting Chair since January of this year. She is serving her second term on the Commission, having been originally appointed by Governor Jesse Ventura in May of 2001 and reappointed by Governor Tim Pawlenty in June of 2007. 

Before her service on the Public Utilities Commission, Commissioner Reha spent 20 years as an Administrative Law Judge at the Minnesota Office of Administrative Hearings and was an Adjunct Professor at the Hamline University Graduate School of Public Administration and Management for 13 years. Commissioner Reha holds a law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School and earned her B.A. from the University of Minnesota