By Chris O’Malley

Gov. Terry Branstad last week shook up the Iowa Utilities Board, demoting Chairman Elizabeth “Libby” Jacobs and removing board member Sheila Tipton.

The unexplained move came after officials of MidAmerican Energy met with the governor to complain about the board’s February ruling requiring the company to refund $2 million annually to consumers over a wind project.

Branstad appointed Iowa Finance Authority official Geri Huser to replace Jacobs, whose term as chair was set to expire next month.

Jacobs, appointed by Branstad in 2011, declined to comment on the reason for the governor’s actions, but she told RTO Insider she plans to complete her term on the three-member board, which runs through April 2017.

“I’ll continue as [Organization of MISO States] president through Dec. 31, 2015, and I’ll also continue to serve [the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners] as the co-vice chair of the Electricity Committee and as a member of the Task Force on Environmental Regulation and Generation,” she said.

Tipton was appointed by Branstad in 2013 to fill an unexpired term ending next month.

In February, the board ordered MidAmerican Energy to return $2 million annually to customers following a review of a $280 million wind turbine project that had been publicly praised by Branstad.

The board said the rewards of the project were “skewed too much towards MidAmerican” without the extra payment. The order modified a settlement that MidAmerican had negotiated with the Office of Consumer Advocate.

MidAmerican has confirmed that it met with Branstad to complain about the board’s decision but insisted it did not press the governor for personnel changes.

Branstad’s spokesman, Jimmy Centers, declined to discuss the speculation. He said Huser, a former state legislator, was chosen by the governor “because he’s been impressed with her career in public service.”