[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 83 (Friday, May 28, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1012]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING ELIZABETH A. ``BETSY'' MOLER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RICK BOUCHER

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 28, 2010

  Mr. BOUCHER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
achievements of Elizabeth A. ``Betsy'' Moler and congratulate her on 
her upcoming retirement. Betsy has been a preeminent voice on energy 
policy throughout her career and her knowledge, thoughtfulness, and 
kindness will be sorely missed.
  Betsy began her career of public service in the office of Senator 
Mike Gravel of Alaska where she started out as a staff assistant. She 
went on to serve on the staff of the Senate Energy and Natural 
Resources Committee as Counsel for both Chairman Henry M. ``Scoop'' 
Jackson of Washington and Chairman J. Bennett Johnston of Louisiana. 
During her time on the Committee, she was the principal staff member 
responsible for all natural gas issues and helped craft the Natural Gas 
Policy Act of 1978. While on the Committee, Betsy became a resource not 
only to the Chairmen, but also to the other members of the Committee.
  In 1988, at the urging of all nineteen members of the Committee, 
President Ronald W. Reagan nominated her to serve as a Commissioner on 
the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, FERC. She was reappointed to 
the Commission by Presidents George H.W. Bush and William Jefferson 
Clinton. President Clinton designated her to serve as the Commission's 
Chair in 1993. Betsy is the longest serving member of FERC and the only 
member appointed by three different Presidents. During her tenure as 
Chair of FERC, Moler led the effort that resulted in the successful 
restructuring of both the interstate natural gas industry under Order 
No. 636 and the wholesale electricity industry under Order Nos. 888 and 
889. These latter landmark orders required utilities to open their 
transmission lines on an equal access basis to their competitors, which 
ushered in a new era of robust competition in wholesale electricity 
markets. This achievement is perhaps Betsy's greatest professional 
legacy.
  President Clinton again turned to Betsy to serve, this time 
nominating her to be Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy, 
DOE. While at DOE, she was the principal architect of the Clinton 
Administration's Comprehensive Electricity Competition Act, which was 
presented to the Congress in June 1998.
  In 2000, Betsy joined Exelon Corporation, formerly Unicom, to head 
the Washington, DC office where she served as Executive Vice President, 
Government & Environmental Affairs and Public Policy. In this last 
position, Betsy remained a vital resource to those concerned about 
energy policy, testifying before Congress and FERC on numerous 
occasions. Most importantly, Betsy remained available to share her wise 
counsel with those seeking to improve our nation's energy and 
environmental laws. We thank her for her service and many 
contributions.

                          ____________________