WASHINGTON -- Arkansas Public Service Commission Chairman Colette Honorable was confirmed to a seat on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Tuesday.
In an unscheduled early-evening vote, the U.S. Senate confirmed the Little Rock resident's nomination by a unanimous voice vote.
Senate Democrats have been hurrying to finish as many pending nominations as they can before ending for the year. When the Senate convenes Jan. 6, Republicans will hold a majority in the chamber. Honorable's nomination was among more than 40 approved by voice vote Tuesday evening.
Honorable, 44, is chairman of the Arkansas Public Service Commission and a past president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. President Barack Obama nominated her in August to replace John Norris, who resigned from the federal energy agency almost three years before his term expired to take a position with the U.S. Agriculture Department. The term expires in June 2017.
With support from Republicans and Democrats as well as industry and consumer groups, Honorable was not considered a controversial nominee.
During confirmation hearings, senators from both parties praised Honorable's expertise.
Both U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, who hired Honorable to work in his office when he was Arkansas' attorney general, and U.S. Sen. John Boozman supported her nomination.
Boozman, a Republican from Rogers, said after the vote that Honorable will serve with distinction.
"We're excited about her finally getting done and feel like she's going to do a tremendous job representing the people of Arkansas, representing the people of America," he said.
Boozman said the voice vote happened so quickly he almost missed it.
"At the end of the day, she was very noncontroversial, had a lot of support on both sides of the aisle so by the time she was gotten to ... she passed without any problem at all," he said.
Pryor, a Democrat from Little Rock, wasn't available for comment Tuesday evening, but at Honorable's confirmation hearing, he called her an outstanding nominee.
"She's honest, she's fair, she listens, she works harder than anyone I've ever seen," Pryor said at the Dec. 4 hearing.
Honorable was first appointed to the state commission in 2007, becoming chairman in 2011. She led the national association in 2013.
In a statement, National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners President Lisa Edgar of Florida called Honorable's appointment "great news for consumers."
"Throughout her tenure at [the association], Commissioner Honorable was a fair and impartial regulator. She led our Association with grace and determination, sharpening our focus on the safety and diversity of our nation's electricity system. We know she will be a tremendous asset at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. At the same time, she leaves [the association] with big shoes for us to fill. We will miss her enthusiasm, organization, and leadership on many levels," she said.
Honorable served as Arkansas Workforce Investment Board executive director in 2007 before Gov. Mike Beebe appointed her to the Public Service Commission. When Beebe was attorney general, Honorable worked as his chief of staff from 2006 to 2007 and as assistant attorney general for civil litigation from 2004 to 2006.
She also worked as an associate at Cauley Geller Bowman and Rudman LLP in Little Rock from 2003 to 2004. Honorable was an assistant city attorney in North Little Rock from 2003 to 2004, an assistant public defender from 1998 to 1999, a judicial law clerk at the Arkansas Court of Appeals from 1997 to 1998 and a staff attorney at the Center for Arkansas Legal Services from 1995 to 1996.
Honorable has a bachelor's degree from Memphis State University and a juris doctorate from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law.
A section on 12/17/2014