CONTACT: Dianne Dienstein December 17, 1997 CPUC - 136

415-703-2423

RICHARD A. BILAS TO BE CPUC PRESIDENT IN 1998

Richard A. Bilas was unanimously elected at yesterday's Commission meeting by his four fellow commissioners to serve as president of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) effective February 1, 1998.

In nominating Bilas to succeed current Commission President P. Gregory Conlon, Commissioner Henry M. Duque also recommended that to facilitate a smooth transition, Bilas assume the presidency February 1, 1998, and that for the same reason, the Commission president be elected at the second Commission meeting in October in the future. All Commissioners supported the change. Previously, at the last Commission meeting each December, Commissioners have chosen one among themselves to serve as president beginning January 1.

Governor Pete Wilson appointed Commissioner Bilas to the Commission on January 1, 1997 for a six-year term.

Previous to coming to Commission, Commissioner Bilas held the John A and Donnie Brock Chair in Energy Economics and Policy at Sarkeys Energy Center, University of Oklahoma, from 1995 to 1996. Prior to that he was a Commissioner with the California Energy Commission for eight years.

He is a member of the editorial board of the Western Economic Association's Contemporary Policy Issues, and the author of three books: Microeconomic Theory - McGraw-Hill, 1967 and 1971 (translated into 5 foreign languages); Problems in Microeconomics - McGraw-Hill, 1971 (also translated into Portugese); and The Essentials of Macroeconomic Theory - Business Publications, Inc. 1974 (also translated into Japanese).

He is also a member of the distinguished economic Mont Pelerin Society, and is a candidate to become a member of the Board of Directors of the Western Economic Association International in 1998.

Bilas has been a faculty member at the University of Southern California, University of Colorado, Georgia State University, and California State University, Bakersfield.

He has an A.B. in Mathematics from Duke University and a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Virginia, is a former Fulbright Scholar to the Philippines, and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.