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Public Utilities President Joins NJIT Faculty

Herbert Tate, the president of the Board of Public Utilities, will join NJIT as research professor of energy policy studies, April 2, 2001.

"We are delighted to have Herb on our faculty," said William Van Buskirk, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. "This new position will open new horizons for both graduate and undergraduate students."

The research professor of energy policy studies will be part of the faculty of the NJIT Department of Humanities and Social Sciences. Tate will develop courses for undergraduate and graduate students examining state and federal laws, regulations and policies as they affect the development of and investments in energy and telecommunications technologies for system safety, reliability, system productivity and environmental issues.

The courses will examine regulatory requirements and energy technologies in balance with public policy concerns surrounding the establishment of open, efficient, competitive markets. State and regional regulatory models and their relative degrees of success will be analyzed.

Tate's responsibilities include identifying and procuring research and development grants and building on existing university public and private collaborations, said Donald Sebastian, vice president for technology development.

Former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman appointed Tate, an attorney, to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) as president in 1994. He led BPU through a transitional structural reorganization to meet new responsibilities in the restructuring of the electric, natural gas and telecommunications industries.

He was a key player in the enactment of the New Jersey Energy Competition Act, in 1999, which opened up both the electric and natural gas supply businesses to retail competition. He negotiated provisions of the act with constituent groups, including labor unions, environmental organizations, municipal and county representatives, large and small commercial and industrial groups and associations, trade unions, gas and electric utilities, independent power producers, consumer groups, power marketers and suppliers.

Former U.S. President George Bush appointed Tate, from 1991 to 1993, as assistant administrator for enforcement at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In this job, he served as policy advisor to former EPA administrator William K. Reilly on civil and criminal enforcement matters, policies and strategic initiatives. He was also the principal liaison between EPA and the Department of Justice. Prior to joining the EPA, Tate was the Essex County Prosecutor, from 1986 to 1991.

For More, Click:http://www.bpu.state.nj.us/

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