SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — Effective Feb. 1, Governor JB Pritzker has appointed Ann McCabe to a five-year term on the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC).

According to officials, McCabe has over 25 years of energy and environmental policy and regulatory experience in the public, private and non-profit sectors. She previously served on the Commission from Mar. 2012 to Jan. 2017.

“The ICC has an important role in the implementation of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), which puts Illinois on the path to decarbonization by 2050,” said Illinois Commerce Commission Chairman Carrie Zalewski. “The next few years will be the most consequential and impactful in the agency’s 100-year history. Ann brings to the table a tremendous amount of regulatory experience. Her knowledge and expertise about energy and the environment will be invaluable as we make important decisions in the weeks and months ahead.”

Before her appointment to the ICC, McCabe joined the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP) as US Program Manager and Principal in Jan. 2020. RAP, a non-profit, assists energy and environmental regulators and stakeholders to achieve a cleaner, more efficient grid.

In her prior term as a Commissioner, Ann focused on grid modernization, power transformation, regional transmission and nuclear issues. She was president of the Organization of PJM States, Inc. (OPSI) and of the MidAmerica Regulatory Conference (MARC) boards and chaired the Nuclear Issues Subcommittee of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners.

Her consulting experience includes two years as the interim executive director of The Climate Registry and assisting nonprofit and trade association clients on regulatory and policy issues. Early in her career, she managed environmental regulatory issues at BP and Amoco and covered energy and environmental issues for the State of Illinois office in Washington, DC.

“I’m grateful to Governor Pritzker for the opportunity to return to the ICC as a Commissioner and to serve the people of Illinois,” said Commissioner Ann McCabe. “I’ve devoted much of my life’s work to energy and environmental regulation, and I look forward to using my experience to help guide Illinois’ energy transformation.”

McCabe earned her master’s degree in public policy from the University of Chicago’s Harris School and a bachelor’s in political science from Williams College.

McCabe’s appointment is subject to confirmation by the Illinois Senate.