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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary


For Immediate Release October 24, 1997
         PRESIDENT CLINTON NAMES LINDA KEY BREATHITT AS MEMBER 
              OF THE FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION 

The President today announced the nomination of Linda Key Breathitt as a Member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

Ms. Breathitt of Lexington, Kentucky, is the Chairman of the Kentucky Public Service Commission, appointed by former Governor Brereton C. Jones. In her current position, Ms. Breathitt is responsible for the regulation of intrastate rates and services of investor-owned electric, natural gas, telephone, water and sewer utilities, rural electric and telephone cooperatives and water districts and associations. Ms. Breathitt serves on the Electricity Committee of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners and is immediate Past President of the Southeastern Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. From 1980 to 1993, Ms. Breathitt was the Executive Director of the Commonwealth of Kentucky Washington, D.C. Office, where she served as the State/Federal liaison, coordinating activities of the Governor's office and state agencies on federal matters. Ms. Breathitt received her B.A. from the University of Kentucky.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is an independent commission that regulates the sales for resale and transmission of electric power and the transportation of natural gas in interstate commerce, including the rates and terms and conditions of such services. The FERC is also responsible for the issuance and enforcement of licenses, permits, and exemptions for the development and operation of private hydroelectric projects on navigable waters of the United States. The siting and construction of natural gas pipelines are also among the Commission's responsibilities. In the past decade the Commission has taken the lead in restructuring the electric utilities and natural gas pipeline industries to promote competition and increased consumer benefits.

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