Gov. Ned Lamont, D-Conn., is nominating Marissa Paslick Gillett of Baltimore to serve as a commissioner of the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA). Formerly with the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC), Gillett has experience in offshore wind policy.
PURPA is responsible for regulating the rates and services of Connecticut’s investor-owned electricity, natural gas, water and telecommunications companies. Gillett will serve the remainder of the term that was most recently held by Katie Dykes, who left her position at PURA earlier this year to become commissioner of the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP).
Gillett is currently vice president of external relations with the Energy Storage Association. From 2011 to 2018, she worked at the Maryland PSC, an independent agency within the Maryland state government that regulates public utilities, where she most recently served as the senior advisor to the chairman. Her duties included a number of matters on energy issues in the state, such as advising the agency’s chairman and other commissioners on technical, legal and policy matters related to offshore wind procurement, statewide energy efficiency programs, advanced metering infrastructure, grid reliability issues and electric vehicles. She has testified before the Maryland General Assembly and led stakeholder engagement initiatives as part of the state’s grid modernization proceeding.
“It’s no secret that Connecticut has some of the highest energy rates in the country,” says Lamont. “We need to change that, and I hope that with her fresh set of eyes and the experience she has working on these issues, she can help advance our policy goals of bringing cheaper, cleaner and more reliable power to the people of our state.”
“In this new role, I will focus on delivering more affordable, sustainable and reliable energy to all Connecticut residents and businesses,” says Gillett. “I look forward to working with the other PURA commissioners and staff to achieve the state’s energy and climate goals in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible.”
PURA, which is administratively held within DEEP, is governed by three commissioners, all of whom are appointed by the governor with the legislature’s advice and consent and serve four-year terms.
Gillett will begin serving as a commissioner-designate on April 26. Her nomination will be sent to the General Assembly for its advice and consent.
