Texas’ Public Utility Commission is back to its full five-commissioner complement with the appointment of Courtney Hjaltman, CEO of the Office of Public Utility Counsel (OPUC) since 2022. 

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott named Hjaltman to the PUC on June 24 for a term that expires Sept. 1, 2025. She fills the seat left vacant by Will McAdams, who stepped down from the PUC in December to focus on his family and health. 

Abbott said Hjaltman’s service to the state and her legal expertise makes her the “ideal choice” to serve on the commission. “Courtney will ensure that Texans in every corner of our state have access to quality utility services for years to come,” he said in a statement. 

As OPUC’s CEO, Hjaltman advocated for Texas’ residential and small commercial customers. During the ERCOT Board of Directors’ meetings June 17-18, she voted against a protocol change revising an ERCOT ancillary service over concerns it would raise consumers’ rates. That likely means she will have to recuse herself when the PUC considers the protocol change. 

Hjaltman was Abbott’s deputy legislative director when she was appointed to OPUC and has more than 17 years of state service, much of it in the legislature. She holds bachelor’s degrees in science and arts from The University of Texas and is a graduate of the governor’s Executive Development Program at UT’s Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. 

State lawmakers increased the size of the PUC from three commissioners to five after the disastrous and deadly 2021 winter storm. The three incumbents at the time lost their jobs in the storm’s aftermath.