Three of the five former DPUC commissioners will serve as interim PURA directors.
The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority met for the first time July 1 – but had to adjourn for half the day because it wasn’t sure if it existed yet.
PURA, part of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, is the successor to the Department of Public Utility Control.
Public Act 11-80 merged the DPUC and the old Department of Environmental Protection into DEEP, but it was unclear on July 1 if the legislation was in effect.
“The meeting was adjourned until later in the day because we (were) attempting to confirm that Public Act 11-80 had been signed and then other agency work intervened for a time,” said PURA spokesman Phil Dukes.
Gov. Dannel Malloy signed PA 11-80 into law on July 1 and also nominated three DPUC commissioners to serve as interim PURA directors until March 14, 2012.
The term of DPUC Chairman Kevin DelGobbo, a former Republican state legislator, was set to expire June 30.
DPUC Vice Chairman John Betkoski was scheduled to serve until June 30, 2013, and Commissioner Anna Ficeto until June 30, 2014. The merger legislation ended all of their terms July 30, 2011.
After resolving the legal issues, the PURA directors resumed their meeting and elected DelGobbo chairman and Betkoski vice chairman.
“Commissioner DelGobbo is on his first vacation in over a year and will be returning to the office on Monday,” Dukes said. “Vice-Chairman Betkoski and Director Ficeto are grateful to the Governor for the opportunity to continue to serve the citizens of Connecticut at the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority.”