CHARLESTON – Delegate Charlotte Lane (R-Kanawha) has been appointed to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Electricity Advisory Committee.
She will serve as a special government employee on the committee for a two-year term that will end in July of 2020.
As a member of the comittee, Lane will rely on her time as the Commissioner of the U.S. International Trade Commission.
Lane was appointed to the International Trade Commission by then-President George W. Bush. She served on the commission from 2003 to 2011. She said she will use that experience to assist in her responsibility to provide advice and counsel on various regulatory and rate making matters as it concerns to the country’s electricity usage while she serves as a member of the Electricity Advisory Committee.
Lane commented that as a member of the committee she “will ensure our power delivery is stable and reliable,” she told The West Virginia Record.
She noted West Virginia’s robust natural energy resources and stated that the natural energy resources of West Virginia will be “used to benefit the country.”
Since the committee will work to guide the Department of Energy on issues regarding the production, security and delivery of electricity to the country, Lane’s past leadership roles will be an asset to her newest appointment.
When asked how her past professional experiences have prepared her for her roll on the committee, Lane highlighted her former work as a lawyer, among her other impressive roles. She noted that she spent nearly her “entire legal career dealing with energy issues” which, she felt, made her a strong choice for the position.
Lane earned her juris doctorate from West Virginia University in 1972. She has served as the chairwoman and commissioner of the Public Service Commission of West Virginia.
"It is important to have West Virginia's voice at the table," Lane said when asked how her appointment will help the people of the state.
She said her appointment to the committee will benefit the country as well as her home state, in part because it “helps if we have West Virginia at the table addressing energy issues.”
The role of the Energy’s Electricity Advisory Committee is to act as the highest level of support to the Department of Energy. Lane’s role, in part, will be to increase the country’s modernization of electricity delivery systems.
Lane will join 31 other members of the committee from the public and private sectors across the United States including Texas A&M University, the Washington State House of Representatives and the Clean Air Task Force.