Francis J. Murray, Jr. was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) on January 26, 2009.
Prior to his appointment, Mr. Murray served as Senior Advisor at the international environmental consulting firm Ecology and Environment, Inc., where he provided strategic policy and market development guidance on environmental and energy issues to a number of private sector and not-for-profit clients. Mr. Murray also represented the Pace Energy and Climate Center and the Natural Resources Defense Council in the New York Public Service Commission proceeding to establish an energy efficiency portfolio standard program.
From 1996 to 1997, Mr. Murray was policy advisor to the United States Secretary of Energy, assisting in the development of the Clinton Administration's national energy policy.
Mr. Murray served from 1992 to 1994 as the New York State Commissioner of Energy and Chairman of the NYSERDA Board of Directors, then a statutory function of the State Energy Commissioner. At that time, he also served as Chairman of the State Energy Planning Board, a multi-agency statutory board charged with the responsibility of developing a comprehensive, integrated energy plan for the State that integrated State energy, environmental and economic development policies. In 1985, Mr. Murray was appointed Deputy Secretary to the Governor for Energy and the Environment, a position he held until 1992. He served from 1983 to 1985 as Assistant Secretary for Energy and the Environment in the administration of New York State Governor Mario M. Cuomo. He represented New York in numerous national and regional energy and environmental activities, including the Coalition of Northeastern Governors, the National Governors' Association, and the Council of Great Lakes Governors. Mr. Murray began his work on New York State energy issues as legislative counsel and then as an energy and environmental policy advisor to Governor Hugh Carey from 1977 to 1982. He began his career in public service as a legislative assistant to Congressman James V. Stanton (D-Ohio).
Mr. Murray serves on the board of numerous not-for-profit organizations, including the Alliance to Save Energy, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), the National Association of State Energy Officials, the Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnership, the New York State Smart Grid Consortium (Vice Chair), and the New York Battery and Energy Storage (NY-BEST) Consortium. Mr. Murray received his Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service cum laude from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, and his Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center.
About the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is a public benefit corporation created in 1975. NYSERDA's earliest efforts focused solely on research and development with the goal of reducing the State's petroleum consumption. Today, NYSERDA's aim is to help New York meet its energy goals: reducing energy consumption, promoting the use of renewable energy sources, and protecting the environment.
Currently, NYSERDA is primarily funded by state rate payers through the System Benefits Charge (SBC), which was established on May 20, 1996, and was specified funding from July 1, 1998 to June 30, 2001. These SBC funds were allocated towards energy-efficiency programs, research and development initiatives, low-income energy programs, and environmental disclosure activities. Part of this funding went into the creation of New York Energy SmartSM which helps to maintain momentum for the State's efforts to develop competitive markets for energy efficiency; demand management; outreach and education services; research, development, and demonstration; low-income services; and to provide direct economic and environmental benefits to New Yorkers. The SBC was extended through June 30, 2006, and most recently until June 30, 2011.
NYSERDA strives to facilitate change through the widespread development and use of innovative technologies to improve the State's energy, economic, and environmental wellbeing. In fulfilling its mission, NYSERDA's workforce reflects its public service orientation, placing a premium on objective analysis and collaboration, as well as reaching out to solicit multiple perspectives and share information. NYSERDA is committed to public service, striving to be a model of efficiency and effectiveness, while remaining flexible and responsive to its customers' needs. NYSERDA's programs and services provide a vehicle for the State to work collaboratively with businesses, academia, industry, the federal government, environmental community, public interest groups, and energy market participants. Through these collaborations, NYSERDA seeks to develop a diversified energy supply portfolio, improve market mechanisms, and facilitate the introduction and adoption of advanced technologies that will help New Yorkers plan for and respond to uncertainties in the energy markets.
NYSERDA is governed by a board consisting of 13 members, including the Commissioner of the Department of Transportation, the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation, the Chair of the Public Service Commission, and the Chair of the Power Authority of the State of New York, who serve ex officio. The remaining nine members are appointed by the Governor of the State of New York with the advice and consent of the Senate and include, as required by statute, an engineer or research scientist, an economist, an environmentalist, a consumer advocate, an officer of a gas utility, an officer of an electric utility, and three at-large members. For more information, please visit http://www.nyserda.org/.