HARRISBURG -- Gov. Ed Rendell has named veteran Public Utility Commission member James Cawley, 62, to be the new chairman of the five-member regulatory agency.

Mr. Cawley, who is from McKean County but has worked in Harrisburg since 1970, has served two stints on the utility regulating agency -- first, from 1979 to 1985 under Republican Gov. Dick Thornburgh, and since 2005 under Democrat Rendell.

In tapping Mr. Cawley as commission chairman, Mr. Rendell said he and other PUC members will have the important job of cushioning residents and businesses, from electric rate "sticker shock" to occur over the next 2 1/2 years.

Rate caps that were placed on Pennsylvania electric rates in the late 1990s will come off in January 2010 and January 2011 (depending on which utility a person has). Unless steps are taken by the Legislature and the PUC to soften the blow, officials said, customers' electric rates could jump 30 percent or more.

Most of the affected electric companies are in central and eastern Pennsylvania, but Allegheny Power in western Pennsylvania will have its rate caps eliminated in January 2011.

More details in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.