AUGUSTA (AP) – Closing out a second term as head of one of Maine’s most prominent regulatory panels, Chairman Thomas Welch is stepping down from the Public Utilities Commission.

“It has been a great privilege and honor to be able to serve the citizens of Maine as chairman of the PUC for the past 12 years,” Welch wrote in a formal letter to Gov. John Baldacci that was dated March 21.

“These have been interesting and turbulent times for regulated industries (and their regulators) and I have enjoyed the opportunity to help ensure a sound and efficient utility infrastructure for Maine consumers and businesses.”

Baldacci’s office said the governor intends to move to replace the departing chairman soon.

Welch, who was appointed chairman of the PUC in May of 1993 and was reappointed to a second term in February 1999, said his last day at the commission will be April 1.

A graduate of Stanford University in 1972 and Harvard Law School in 1975, Welch previously was chief deputy attorney general in Pennsylvania.

He also worked for Bell Atlantic and Bell of Pennsylvania and practiced law in San Francisco.

“I must add that most of the credit for any success we have had (though none of the blame for any perceived failures, which is mine alone) should go to my staff: they are the finest commission staff in the world,” he wrote in his resignation letter.

The two other members of the three-member PUC are Stephen Diamond, who joined the panel in October 1998 to fill an unexpired term and was reappointed in 2001, and Sharon Reishus, who was sworn into office in July 2003.

“Throughout his tenure at the PUC, Tom has worked hard to keep utility rates as low as possible. That’s what Maine consumers and business demand,” Baldacci said in a statement.

A formal announcement of Welch’s resignation came from the PUC on Tuesday.

“I believe there are a number of areas where the commission can look back with pride on our work over the past several years,” Welch said in a statement. “While we have improved the efficiency of telephone pricing, we retain the highest penetration rate for basic telephone service in the country.

“We have been able to bring the benefits of increased competition in the electric sector to all of Maines customers, and at the same time have created regulatory structures for electric utilities that have produced greater efficiency – and lower prices – for delivery.

“The Maine School and Library network, first established by the commission several years ago, remains a model for ensuring that the access to the Internet is available to all our citizens in all of our communities. Our policies have encouraged the development of the natural gas infrastructure. Finally, we have managed to perform our core tasks without increasing the cost of our operation,” Welch said.