Other LanguagesOLYMPIA – Attorney General Rob McKenna today announced the appointment of Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey D. Goltz as chairman of the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC). The UTC protects consumers by ensuring that utility and transportation services are fairly priced, available, reliable and safe.
“I have no doubt that Jeff has the leadership and strong ethical background that is required to successfully manage this dynamic and complex agency,” said Gov. Chris Gregoire upon announcing the new appointment. “Jeff brings an incredible passion for public service and constructive approach to any challenge. I congratulate Jeff on this appointment and look forward to working with him in this important role.”
Just this week, McKenna presented Goltz, one of only four Deputy Attorneys General on his Core Leadership Team, with his 30-year plaque, recognizing a long and distinguished career serving the public under four attorneys general.
"As a new Attorney General in 2005, I was proud to retain Jeff as part of my core leadership team. His innovation and thoughtful leadership were tremendously helpful to me as I transitioned into my new role," McKenna said. "If there’s any silver lining to Jeff's departure from our office, it is knowing as we lose Jeff as a deputy we will gain an excellent client. He has strong analytical skills, he knows the law and he exhibits great judgment. He will make an outstanding UTC chairman."
During his tenure at the Attorney General’s Office, Jeff has worked not only in the Ecology Division as an Assistant Attorney General and as Division Chief, but also in the Revenue Division and in the Utilities and Transportation Division, where he served as Division Chief for 11 years.
Goltz has been honored by the Attorney General’s Office with the Outstanding Leader Award twice, and has been recognized as a Washington Law & Politics Super Lawyer several times.
“I am excited to take on this new endeavor,” Goltz said. “As the former Division Chief for the Attorney General’s Office Utilities and Transportation Division for 11 years, I am well-acquainted with the UTC’s long history of excellent service both to the State and to the public. In my new role as UTC chair, I look forward to carrying on that tradition and working with an extraordinary group of talented and dedicated commissioners and staff.”
This UTC appointment comes at critical time for important energy, transportation and water. Utilities regulation must strike a balance between ensuring affordable rates and adequate supplies to customers and the reasonable investment-backed expectations of those who build and maintain utilities.
Commissioners also serve as both a consumer watchdog over the state’s vital public utilities and carriers, and must equally understand and negotiate with the companies they regulate so they can earn a fair return.
The commission regulates companies responsible for roughly 10 percent of the state’s economy in terms of total business revenue. Approximately 8,000 utilities and carriers, many with annual revenues totaling in the hundreds of millions of dollars, must operate under the commission’s umbrella.
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