National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners Select RRC Oversight & Safety Director for Committee Leadership Role

RRC Director of Oversight and Safety Kari French was recently selected to serve as chair of the Staff Subcommittee on Pipeline Safety for the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. NARUC, which was founded in 1889, is a nonprofit representing state organizations that regulate essential utilities, such as energy, telecommunications, power, water and transportation. NARUC is, in part, a meeting ground where public regulatory professionals from all parts of the county, including membership in all 50 states, can exchange ideas that help improve the regulation of utilities. French has been a member on NARUC’s pipeline safety subcommittee since 2015. “I am honored and very willing to now lead this subcommittee,” she said. French brings a wealth of experience to the role, including seven years in her current position at the RRC overseeing such areas as Pipeline Safety, Alternative Fuels and Gas Services. She also has more than 25 years of related experience in the private sector. At the Railroad Commission, French has overseen the development of the RRC PIPES database, which streamlines agency processes and provides a valuable tool for RRC’s Pipeline Safety staff and operators to upload documents, including inspection and incident reports, and complaints, while automatically making more documents available to the public. French has also participated in the successful adoption of statewide rules allowing the agency to take over oversight of underground natural gas storage facilities from the federal government. She also led the division to help the agency implement bills passed in response to Winter Storm Uri. “The legislation passed here in Texas has been of value to NARUC as it has received much national attention,” French said. “The group had many questions about our experience and our plans going forward.” French attends other NARUC staff subcommittees as an observer.