The nominee to chair the state’s Public Utilities Commission said he will work to make energy more affordable while basing his decisions on evidence and act with impartiality if chosen for the job.
“We all know that energy costs are among the most serious challenges that we have here in New Hampshire, also across the regions and the nation. Affordability must be a priority,” Christopher Ellms Jr. said in his opening remarks before the executive council on Monday. “The decisions that we make at the PUC have real, tangible impacts on [Granite Staters]. Of course, I will work to strike the balance between consumer interests and utility needs that the law requires.”
Members of the council asked about Ellms’s previous experience and how it can translate to the quasi-judicial role at the PUC. Energy stakeholders had similar questions: Leading up to the hearing, they expressed concerns over his background in politics and his relatively short four years at the Department of Energy.
“The biggest issue that is part of the rating that I’ve heard from folks is your lack of experience in utility matters, in the sense of not being an engineer, not being anyone from the law environment … and also those that are in the finance world, you don’t have either of those backgrounds,” Executive Councilor John Stephen said to Ellms during the hearing.
Ellms, of Webster, became the deputy commissioner of the state’s Department of Energy in 2021 after he was appointed by Gov. Chris Sununu. Ellms previously worked with Sununu as his policy advisor, his gubernatorial campaign manager and his legislative director. He also held the title of energy advisor at the Office of Strategic Initiatives.
When Stephen asked how he would address those concerns, Ellms said his lack of experience in those fields is exactly what the legislature is looking for.
“I’m, first of all, somebody who’s been immersed in the public interest, being my concern at the Department of Energy. I’m also not set in any particular way of thinking,” he said. “I’m somebody that can see the forest through the trees, who can make those decisions based on what’s going to serve the public interest.”
Executive Councilor Karen Liot Hill asked Ellms how he will prepare to lead the PUC and how he will “reassure the public” of his decisions being unbiased. She also asked how he will approach recusal decisions in matters involving his previous work at the Department of Energy.
“I have already started, in preparation for this conversation, the work of working with the Department of Justice, the governor’s office and with our interim council on making sure I have a full understanding of the standards that are applicable for recusal,” he answered. “It’s important, if I am confirmed, that I participate as often as possible when it is appropriate for me to participate and not participate when it’s appropriate.”
Other questions centered on the diversity of the state’s energy sources , his working relationship with the other two PUC members and his plan to bring down energy costs down. The average energy rate in the state is over six cents higher than the United States average, and New Hampshire lags behind its regional neighbors when it comes to transitioning to renewable energy.
Several legislators and colleagues testified during the hearing and strongly supported Ellms’s nomination. Jared Chicoine, the commissioner of the Department of Energy, said he would hate to lose Ellms at the department but believed Gov. Kelly Ayotte made “an excellent choice” with his nomination.
“There have been several occasions where he has been the lead on complex energy policy initiatives,” Chicoine said. “He demonstrated his ability to learn quickly and distill information in a way that made it easily understandable for elected officials and the public.”
Rep. Michael Vose, the chair of the House Science, Technology and Energy committee, said Ellms helped restructure the state’s energy framework and strategy that in part improved clarity and transparency at the PUC, which was previously veiled in “regulatory complexity.”
“At a time when New Hampshire faces complex energy challenges, including cost pressures, infrastructure needs and technological change, the Public Utilities Commission requires leadership that is informed, steady and committed to transparency and accountability,” Vose said. “In my judgment, Christopher J. Ellms possesses these qualities and has demonstrated them through years of public service.”