Tony Clark Begins Term as FERC Commissioner

On June 15, Anthony T. (Tony) Clark began his term as a Commissioner of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.  His arrival at FERC follows a career in North Dakota politics and a 12-year tenure at the North Dakota Public Service Commission (NDPSC).  Most recently Mr. Clark served as a Chairman of the NDPSC, of which he has been an elected Commissioner since 2000.  From November 2010 to November 2011, Mr. Clark served as President of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC).  Prior to his leadership at NARUC and the NDPSC, Mr. Clark served in the North Dakota State House of Representatives from 1994 to 1997 and was Chairman of the North Dakota Republican Party.  He was also North Dakota’s Labor Commissioner from 1999 to 2000 under former Governor Ed Schafer.

In prepared remarks presented in his Senate confirmation hearing, Mr. Clark cited North Dakota’s energy growth under his leadership at the NDPSC as “perhaps the best way to introduce my experience.”  Specifically, he pointed to North Dakota’s inclusion among the top 10 wind energy-producing states, the siting of hundreds of miles of new electric transmission lines, North Dakota’s leadership in clean coal and carbon capture and sequestration infrastructure, the recent announcement that North Dakota is now the nation’s third-largest oil-producing state, and the authorization of approximately $6 billion in energy infrastructure projects while he was at the NDPSC.  Among the “big issues” he sees in FERC’s future are “developing infrastructure in the right way, facilitating Americans’ access to affordable, reliable, environmentally responsible forms of energy, [and] protecting our nation’s critical assets.”  Mr. Clark’s nomination was confirmed by unanimous consent before the full Senate.

Mr. Clark is the first North Dakotan to serve as FERC Commissioner.  He received his BA from North Dakota State University and his MPA from the University of North Dakota.