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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release November 15, 1999

PRESIDENT CLINTON NAMES JAMES J. HOECKER AS MEMBER OF THE FEDERAL ENERGY

REGULATORY COMMISSION

The President today announced the nomination of James Hoecker, to serve as Member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The President will designate him as Chair upon appointment.

Mr. James J. Hoecker, of Alexandria, Virginia, has served as a Member of the FERC since May 1993 and was reappointed to a five-year term in August 1995. Mr. Hoecker has ably served the Commission as Chairman since 1997. During his chairmanship, Mr. Hoecker has promoted: wholesale electric competition through development of regional transmission organizations, modernization of natural gas regulatory policies, interagency coordination to improve the hydroelectric relicensing process at the FERC, and an agency-wide reengineering to make FERC process more market-responsive. Prior to his appointment to the FERC, Mr. Hoecker was Of Counsel at Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue from 1990 to 1993. From 1988 to 1990, he was a Partner in the law firm of Keck, Mahin, & Cate. A former FERC staff member, Mr. Hoecker served in several capacities, including as Assistant General Counsel for Gas and Oil Litigation from 1986 to 1988.

Mr. Hoecker holds a B.A. cum laude from Northland College, an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky and a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School.

FERC is responsible for setting rates and charges for the transportation and sale of natural gas, for authorizing the construction and operation of interstate natural gas pipelines for the transmission and sales for resale of electricity and the licensing of non-federal hydroelectric power projects. In addition, the Commission establishes rates of charges for the transportation of crude oil and petroleum products by pipeline, as well as the valuation of such pipelines.

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