Raimondo nominates OER Commissioner Marion Gold to R.I. PUC

CAROL GRANT has been nominated by Gov. Gina M. Raimondo to take over Marion Gold's position as commissioner of the R.I. Office of Energy Resources. / PBN FILE PHOTO
CAROL GRANT has been nominated by Gov. Gina M. Raimondo to take over Marion Gold's position as commissioner of the R.I. Office of Energy Resources. / PBN FILE PHOTO

PROVIDENCE – Gov. Gina M. Raimondo is looking to make changes to the state’s top leadership in energy.
The second-year governor on Friday announced her nomination of Marion Gold, commissioner of the Office of Energy Resources, to become a member of the R.I. Public Utilities Commission. Pending Senate confirmation, Gold would replace PUC Commissioner Paul J. Roberti, who was appointed by former Gov. Donald L. Carcieri in 2009. Roberti was not immediately available for comment on Monday, but Raimondo spokeswoman Ashley G. O’Shea told Providence Business News that his six-year term had ended last year, and he had served in the interim while the governor decided on an appointment. Raimondo has decided to go with Gold.
“Under Marion’s leadership at the OER, Rhode Island has emerged as a national leader on innovative clean energy programs and green job growth,” Raimondo said in a prepared statement. “Marion has the deep experience and background to be an exceptional PUC commissioner.”

Gold’s move to the PUC could come with a pay cut as high as 20.2 percent, as the governor has proposed $140,514 in salary and benefits for the OER commissioner, according to her proposed fiscal 2017 budget, compared with the two PUC commissioners, who would each receive approximately $112,131. The PUC chairperson, Margaret Curran, would receive a slightly larger salary of $117,412.

To fill the void left behind by Gold, Raimondo has also nominated Carol J. Grant to become OER commissioner. Grant was a member of Raimondo’s transition when she became governor in 2015. She most recently worked as senior vice president of external affairs at SunEdison Inc., a global solar-power company based in Missouri, which filed for bankruptcy protection on April 21. Grant left the company in February, before the bankruptcy filing, and when asked about it, O’Shea pointed to the rapidly changing nature of the renewable energy market, adding that Grant has a “long record of success.”
Prior to SunEdison, Grant held the same position with First Wind, a Boston-based renewable energy company, before it was acquired by SunEdison. She also served as chief of operations for the city of Providence under former Mayor David N. Cicilline, who now represents the Rhode Island’s first congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Grant, a lawyer by trade, is looking to move forward with an “aggressive clean energy strategy,” according to a press release. She must also be confirmed by the Senate.
“I have the utmost confidence that Carol will build on Marion’s great work creating new investment opportunities, reducing energy costs for our families and businesses, shrinking Rhode Island’s carbon footprint, and ensuring a more reliable and sustainable energy system,” Raimondo said. “Her unique experience at renewable energy companies will help bring us into a secure, cost-effective, and sustainable energy future.”

No posts to display