AUGUSTA (AP) – An energy consultant from Massachusetts who previously worked on national security issues in Washington is Gov. John Baldacci’s nominee for a seat on Maine’s three-member Public Utilities Commission.

Sharon Reishus of Cambridge, Mass., will serve a six-year term if her nomination is confirmed by the state Senate. She would succeed Commissioner William Nugent, whose term is expiring.

“Sharon Reishus will bring a keen intellect and a proven capacity to work within a complex regulatory system while always keeping a focus on the public interest,” Baldacci said in a prepared statement.

“Sharon’s expertise in electricity markets and transmission will be an immediate benefit to the PUC as they work through the uncertainties of wholesale electricity markets,” added Baldacci, whose nomination of Reishus was announced in Wednesday’s House calendar.

Since 1998, Reishus has worked with a firm that consults and provides research on the North American power industry. From 1991-1998, she was a staff analyst for the Maine PUC, where she advised regulators on deregulation, special rate contracts and related issues.

Previously, Reishus was a planner for Central Maine Power Co.

In 1987 and 1988, Reishus was a senior duty officer with the National Security Council in Washington, where she led a team of intelligence analysts and briefed key officials, including the president, on foreign policy issues, according to her resume.

Reishus was an intelligence officer for the Central Intelligence Agency from 1984-87.

She is a graduate of Stanford University and has a master’s degree in strategic planning from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Reishus’ nomination will be reviewed by the Legislature’s Utilities and Energy Committee.

AP-ES-05-07-03 1048EDT

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