Public Utilities Commission Chairman Goldner’s term to end without reappointment

The PUC, of which Dan Goldner has served as chair since 2021, regulates the companies that provide utility services. (Photo by Dave Cummings/New Hampshire Bulletin)

Gov. Kelly Ayotte announced Monday that she would not reappoint Dan Goldner, chairman of the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission, to another term.

Goldner was appointed to the commission in May 2021 and has served as chair since November of that year. Ayotte informed Goldner via a letter that he would not be reappointed. 

The letter, dated Sept. 15, states that Goldner’s term would conclude at 5 p.m. that evening. Goldner’s term ended officially on July 1 but he had continued to occupy the seat on a holdover basis. Ayotte’s decision to end his term was originally reported by WMUR.

Ayotte did not provide a reason for her decision in the letter, in a statement from her office sent via email on Monday, or in social media posts referencing the decision.

“Governor Ayotte thanks (Goldner) for his service to our state,” spokesperson John Corbett said in the statement. “The Governor’s Office has begun an immediate search for his replacement to ensure the regulatory process is transparent, accountable, and protects Granite Staters from rate hikes.”

New Hampshire Consumer Advocate Donald Kreis said he was not surprised by the decision. 

“The governor made her displeasure with Goldner pretty public,” Kreis said, pointing to Ayotte’s reaction to a ruling of the PUC in July granting rate increases to utility Eversource Energy. In a statement, Ayotte said at the time she was “extremely disappointed” in the outcome of the case. 

While Kreis said Goldner was “a thoughtful and respectful presence in the hearing room,” the commissioner’s business background showed in his leadership style and approach to regulation, according to Kreis. 

Goldner is an engineer and former business executive who worked for semiconductor and other electronics businesses for more than 30 years, according to a biography on the PUC website. His industry-insider approach sometimes made litigating before the PUC a challenge, Kreis said.

“I think Chairman Goldner had trouble understanding the difference between running a utility company and regulating a utility company,” Kreis said. “… When you’re the regulator, you’re better advised to let the stakeholders try to work with each other to address as much as they can by consensus.”

Goldner’s term on the PUC also began controversially, with critics accusing him of denying climate change and not being sufficiently familiar with clean energy technology after he was nominated by former Gov. Chris Sununu in 2021. During the Executive Council hearing following his nomination, Goldner attributed warming temperatures to “the earth’s natural cycle,” according to Bulletin reporting from the time.

The PUC regulates the companies that provide utility services — including electricity, natural gas, water, sewer, and telecommunications — to ratepayers across the state.