Today, we live in a global economy where a college degree has increasingly become a prerequisite for success.

I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to improve and reauthorize the Higher Education Act.

Fixing our system of higher education will be hard work.

The country's future competiveness and the strength of our economy depend upon the skills and education of the next generation.

But America is falling behind the rest of the world in the percentage of our population with a college degree.

The goal of HEA reauthorization must be to design a system of higher education that is focused, above all else, on ensuring student success.

We need a wholesale conversation about every factor that touches on affordability: tuition rates, loans, grants, and tax incentives, to name a few.

College must be made more affordable.

Our industry faces many challenges that require a careful balancing of interests and thoughtful solutions. Constructive approaches that benefit both customers and the environment should be applauded rather than chastised.

Ron has a long career in public service in Colorado. He has built, he has earned a reputation as a good listener who can broker difficult compromises among stakeholders who might not necessarily see eye to eye on a given issue.

Over Republican and Democratic administrations FERC has judiciously exercised the dual authority Congress has given it. FERC has a long nonpartisan tradition. Ron Binz fits squarely within that tradition.