In a letter sent Monday, Gov. Kelly Ayotte announced she would not re-nominate Public Utilities Commission chairman Daniel Goldner.
The letter did not include any specific reason for her decision. But it thanked Goldner for his service and said his term would conclude at the end of that day.
Goldner has led the state’s agency in charge of regulating electric, gas, water and sewer utilities since November 2021. The chairmanship was his first time in public office, after a career working at Texas Instruments, a technology company that makes semiconductors.
Throughout his time leading the Public Utilities Commission, the agency contended with issues of growing economic and political importance.
Rising electricity demand, a push to transition away from fossil fuels, and infrastructure proposals highlighted the importance of his office.
Goldner faced criticism for his lack of experience with energy markets and courted controversy with decisions that shaped state policy.
Under Goldner’s leadership, the commission appeared focused on breaking tradition and spurring transformation. In one of the first orders Goldner signed, he rejected routine plans submitted by the state’s electric utilities to fund energy efficiency efforts, sparking a major reconsideration of how New Hampshire handles those programs.
In net metering decisions, the agency cast doubt on a study the state itself funded that sought to determine the value of small-scale renewable resources. They also began a process to create broader changes to the state’s net metering structure.
Last fall, the commission proposed changes to their own rules, seeking to define a new role for itself after the creation of the New Hampshire Department of Energy. Critics of those changes worried the agency was taking on its own political agenda, rather than sticking to adjudicating utility rates and other cases.
In a hearing earlier this year, Department of Energy Assistant Commissioner Chris Ellms accused the Public Utilities Commission of trying to control the way his own agency did their job.
John Corbett, a spokesperson for Gov. Ayotte, said she would continue working with the state legislature to promote an “all-of-the-above” energy strategy. And, he said, she is working to nominate a new chair.
“The Governor’s Office has begun an immediate search for his replacement to ensure the regulatory process is transparent, accountable, and protects Granite Staters from rate hikes,” he said.
