Maine Public Utilities Commission Chair Phil Bartlett will leave the commission on October 9, creating a leadership transition at the state agency that oversees electric, gas, water and telecommunications utilities. Gov. Janet Mills announced the departure Tuesday, saying Bartlett is moving to a private-sector opportunity.
Commissioner Patrick Scully, the commission’s senior-most member, will become acting chair. The administration said the next governor will nominate a permanent replacement, subject to Maine Senate confirmation. Under state law governing the PUC chair, the governor designates one commissioner as chair, who serves as the agency’s principal executive officer.
The change does not by itself alter existing utility rates, pending cases or consumer programs. Those matters remain before the commission, which makes decisions through public regulatory proceedings. The immediate consequence is institutional: Scully will take responsibility for leading the commission’s work while the next administration decides who should hold the permanent post. The commission will continue operating under its existing statutory authority during the transition.
A midterm departure
Bartlett joined the PUC in June 2019 and was confirmed to a second term in 2025. His current term was scheduled to run through March 31, 2031, according to the commission’s official commissioner biographies. Before joining the agency, he practiced law and served in the Maine Senate, including as majority leader and chair of the Legislature’s Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee.
The Mills administration credited Bartlett with expanding performance-based oversight of electric utilities, advancing regional transmission planning, modernizing pole-attachment rules and preserving Maine’s 207 telephone area code. It also said funding for the statewide Low-Income Assistance Program increased from $7.8 million to $33 million during his tenure. The PUC’s consumer-assistance guidance says the program provides qualifying households with an electricity-bill credit based on income and usage.
Scully has served on the commission since June 2021 after a long career as a municipal, energy and utility regulatory attorney. His current term expires in March 2027. The permanent leadership decision will therefore arrive as Maine faces continuing questions over affordability, electric-grid investment and the allocation of regional transmission costs.
Why the chair matters
The chair does not unilaterally set utility policy, but the role carries significant administrative responsibility. State law makes the chair the commission’s principal executive officer and gives the office responsibility for implementing commission policy and supervising agency operations. Regulatory votes still occur through the commission’s formal process.
For ratepayers, utilities and parties in pending cases, the practical point is continuity rather than immediate policy change: Scully assumes the chairmanship on an acting basis October 9, while existing orders and filing requirements remain in place. A longer-term shift will depend on the next governor’s nominee, the Senate confirmation process and the priorities that new leadership brings to one of Maine’s most consequential economic regulators.
