Courtesy / Office of Gov. Janet Mills
Phil Bartlett, a former Maine Senate majority leader, was nominated Tuesday by Gov. Janet Mills to be the next chairman of the Maine Public Utilities Commission.
May 29, 2019
Mills picks former Senate majority leader to be next PUC chairman
By James McCarthy
Gov. Janet Mills nominated former Senate Majority Leader Phil Bartlett on Tuesday to be the next chairman of the Maine Public Utilities Commission. If confirmed, Bartlett would replace Mark Vannoy, an appointee of former Gov. Paul LePage who served on the PUC from 2012-2019 and served as its chairman from December 2014 to March 2019.
Elected four times, Bartlett served in the Maine Senate from 2004 to 2012 and was elected by his peers to serve as Senate Majority Leader from 2008 to 2010. He chaired the Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee and as well as the Joint Select Committee on Maine's Energy Future and he served on the Government Oversight Committee, Natural Resources Committee and Labor Committee.
According to a news release sent to Mainebiz from Mills’ office, during his time in the Legislature, Bartlett, an attorney, forged bipartisan support for several of the state’s landmark energy initiatives, including Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative legislation, a bill to increase Maine’s renewable portfolio standard and bills to support renewable energy development.
“Phil Bartlett is a dedicated public servant and an experienced leader on energy policy who will uphold the Public Utilities Commission’s core responsibility of ensuring every Maine consumer has safe, adequate and reliable utility services at reasonable rates,” Mills said. “As chair of the PUC, Phil’s background in economics and utilities and his commitment to the State of Maine will be a significant asset to our state’s ratepayers.”
Bartlett’s nomination is subject to review by the Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology and final confirmation by the Maine State Senate.
“I am honored that Gov. Mills has nominated me to serve the people of Maine and I look forward to working to protect the rights of consumers and ratepayers statewide,” Bartlett said in a news release.
Bartlett, 42, is a native of Gorham, and a graduate of Gorham High School. He graduated from Tufts University, where he graduated summa cum laude with a major in economics and political science, and has a law degree from Harvard Law School. He taught micro and macroeconomics at the collegiate level. He has practiced law with Scaccia, Bartlett & Chabot since 2004. He lives in Portland with his daughter, Abigail.
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