Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative

Jeanne M. Fox

Jeanne M. Fox, a Commissioner of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU), served as its President and a member of the Governor's cabinet from January 2002 to January 2010. Ms. Fox was appointed to the NJBPU on January 15, 2002 and was reconfirmed for a second term on March 16, 2009.  The NJBPU has regulatory jurisdiction over telephone, electric, gas, water, wastewater and cable television companies and works to ensure that consumers have access to safe, reliable services at reasonable rates. 

Ms. Fox was chair of New Jersey's Energy Master Plan Committee, released in October 2008, the interagency committee tasked by the Governor and the legislature to update the state's Energy Master Plan. The plan, now being implemented, was designed to ensure a reliable supply of energy while also achieving the State's goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create a 21^st century energy infrastructure.

Ms. Fox is a member of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC). She sits on NARUC's Board of Directors; is Vice Chair of the Committee on Energy Resources and the Environment; is a member of the Committee on Critical Infrastructure and the Task Force on Climate Policy. She is Chair of the National Council on Electricity Policy, a consortium of NARUC, the National Governors' Association, National Council of State Legislatures, National Association of State Energy Officials, the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. She served on the Advisory Council to the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of the Electric Power Research Institute.  She also served on the National Academy of Science Panel on Public Participation in Environmental Assessment and Decision Making and the Harvard Electricity Policy Group. She was also appointed by U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Bodman to the department's Electricity Advisory Committee to provide senior-level counsel to the department's Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability.

Under President Fox's leadership NJBPU has become a leader among states in developing clean energy policies, and promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency.  Some of the accolades President Fox and the Board have received are the Southern New Jersey Development Council's Chairman's Award, the EPA's Michael C. Thompson Award, Golden Meter Award for Best Statewide Net Metering Program in the U.S., the New Jersey Chapter of Sierra Club's Outstanding Achievement Award, the Solar Energy Industries Association's Solar Champion 2005, AARP New Jersey's Leadership on Utility Consumer Issues Award, and the National Solar Industry Association's Award for Outstanding Leadership in Policy Development for Clean Energy.

Prior to her appointment to the board, Ms. Fox served as a Regional Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and as Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Energy. 

Ms. Fox received a Bachelor's Degree from Douglass College, Rutgers University and a Juris Doctor from the Rutgers University School of Law.