Maui resident, Michael Champley was appointed to serve out a term but rumors are that Gov. Abercrombie is debating whether to appoint him to the next term.   Here’s what Blue Planet says about Champley:

Champley has shared his expertise as a policy consultant for Blue Planet Foundation for more than two years, mostly advising on key clean energy dockets before the PUC and other regulatory matters. According to Blue Planet’s executive director Jeff Mikulina, Hawaii’s evolving energy industry requires the adoption of complex economic and operational policies with which Mr. Champley is intimately familiar. Mikulina said that Mr. Champley has been instrumental in identifying and modifying practices that impede the integration of renewable energy.
 
“A deep knowledge of the technical operations of electricity generation and the grid is imperative to effective decision-making,” said Mikulina, citing Mr. Champley’s success in leading the large Detroit utility through a major transformation that separated their generation business from their transmission and distribution business.
 
“We brought Mr. Champley on board because he understands the complex changes that must happen to enable Hawai‘i’s transition to affordable, reliable clean energy like solar and wind,” Mikulina added. “Mr. Champley comes with decades of experience in energy policy and a toolbox of solutions to wean Hawai‘i from its dependence on fossil fuel.”