HARRISBURG — Tyrone Christy of Renfrew was recently elected vice chairman of the state Public Utility Commission.

Christy was appointed in June 2007 to be one of the three PUC commissioners by Gov. Ed Rendell. Christy's term expires March 31, 2011.

The PUC regulates about 6,200 businesses that provide electricity; natural gas; telephone; water; wastewater collection and disposal; steam heat; motor coach, trucks and taxicabs; pipeline transmission of natural gas and oil; and public highway-railroad crossings.

Christy started his career with the PUC in the mid 1980s, serving to develop and manage the commission's independent power program, under which more than 2,000 megawatts of alternative generation was placed into commercial operation.

Since leaving the commission in 1987, Christy has been a private developer of independent power plants such as a 30-megawatt waste coal plant in Clarion County and worked as a consultant for the Electric Power Research Institute through his affiliation with the Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus, Ohio.

He has managed a number of power generation and energy outsourcing arrangements with industrial and commercial customers.

He also was treasurer of the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority from 2004 until 2007.

He is a graduate of Grove City College with a degree in chemical engineering.

Christy said he will concentrate his work at the PUC to work with the General Assembly on conservation and demand legislation; electricity pricing reform to counteract expected price increases stemming from the end of price capping in 2011; and the expansion of assistance for low-income families.