Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) submitted his third nomination for the state’s Public Service Commission on Wednesday, naming energy attorney Bonnie Suchman to take the seat currently held by Commissioner Odogwu Obi Linton.
Suchman will join incoming Chair Fred Hoover, an attorney in the Office of People’s Counsel, and Commissioner Kumar Barve, a long-time state delegate from Montgomery County. Hoover will begin his term July 1, following the expiration of current Chair Jason Stanek’s term.
Barve replaced Commissioner Patrice Bubar, attending his first commission meeting on June 7, according to Tori Leonard, PSC communications director. Exactly when Suchman will attend her first commission meeting is uncertain, Leonard said. She will need to be sworn in at a state district court at a time of her choosing.
Suchman’s resume includes stints as special counsel for electric utility restructuring at the U.S. Department of Energy during the Clinton administration and as a senior attorney focusing on transmission issues for the Edison Electric Institute. She also led the energy practice at Troutman Pepper, where she worked on both state and federal energy policy issues. She has continued working on energy issues with her own practice, Suchman LLC.
Barve was first elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1991. Before Moore tapped him for the PSC, he had been chair of the House Environment and Transportation Committee since 2015. He was also majority leader in the House from 2003 to 2014.
He is also the CFO for EMSI, a small environmental services company located in Rockville.
Bubar, Linton and Stanek were appointed to the PSC by former Gov. Larry Hogan (R), but Bubar and Linton were not confirmed by the Senate. Moore rescinded their nominations after taking office.
Hoover, Barve and Suchman will also have to be confirmed by the General Assembly when it is back in session in January 2024. They join Commissioners Michael T. Richard and Anthony O’Donnell, both reappointed by Hogan for second terms in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
Kim Coble, executive director of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters, applauded Suchman’s appointment and “the Moore administration for putting forward somebody that has extensive experience in utilities and electricity.”
“The thing that I think is important here is to understand in Maryland … the PSC plays a really significant role, and a unique role in advancing the … electricity agenda,” Coble said. “The Moore administration has made their commitment to climate change very clear … and so to have somebody with [Suchman’s] background helping to advance [this] agenda, I think it’d be a strong asset to the state.”
Moore ran afoul of Coble and other energy advocates earlier this year when he nominated Juan Alvarado, senior director of energy analysis for the American Gas Association, to the commission. As opposition mounted, Alvarado withdrew his nomination. (See Alvarado Withdraws from Md. PSC Nomination.)
