Gov. Kelly Ayotte announced Tuesday that she would nominate Christopher Ellms Jr., the current deputy commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Energy, for the role of chairman of the Public Utilities Commission.
“Electric bills in New Hampshire are too high, and our Public Utilities Commission needs leadership that prioritizes lowering costs for families,” she said in a press release.
The Public Utilities Commission is a court-like entity that regulates utilities in New Hampshire, hearing cases and issuing orders related to utility expenditures and rate changes.
Ellms holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Northeastern University and previously worked for former Gov. Chris Sununu, first as director of operations for Sununu’s gubernatorial campaign and later working for Sununu during his term as governor. Ellms held titles including policy adviser for Sununu and energy adviser at the Office of Strategic Initiatives.
Preceding his appointment to the Department of Energy, he served as legislative director for Sununu for nearly three years, according to Ellms’ LinkedIn.
Ellms has held the role of deputy commissioner of the Department of Energy since the department was created in 2021 under Sununu. The department was proposed as a dedicated home for state energy policy and innovation, though critics worried at the time its creation would erode the independent authority of the three-person Public Utilities Commission. Since the founding of the Department of Energy, some confusion and disagreements have endured over the respective roles of the two entities.
The role of chairman at the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission has been vacant since Ayotte announced she would not reappoint then-Chairman Daniel Goldner in September.
Commissioner Mark Dell’Orfano, a lawyer and former New Hampshire assistant attorney general, has served as interim chair. Also sitting on the Public Utilities Commission is Pradip Chattopadhyay, an economist with two decades of experience in energy policy.
Ellms did not immediately return a request for comment sent by email and phone on Tuesday morning.
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