Power lines run along the power grid in West Palm Beach, Florida on May 16, 2024. The U.S. Senate this week approved three of President Joe Biden’s nominees to serve on the nation’s top energy regulatory panel. Industry, renewable energy and environmental groups cheered the vote on the new members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Three of President Joe Biden’s nominees to the nation’s top energy regulatory panel, which had been at risk of losing a quorum, were approved by the U.S. Senate this week.
The vote to approve the new members — two Democrats and one Republican — for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission was cheered by industry, renewable energy and environmental groups, who said a full complement of commissioners is essential for the body to tackle challenges of climate change. an aging electricity grid, a rapidly changing generation mix and debates over natural gas infrastructure, among other pressing energy issues.
“We are pleased to see that FERC will be restored to full selection, which will help provide regulatory certainty and the attention needed on important issues impacting our nation’s energy systems,” said Todd Snitchler , president and CEO of the Electric Power Supply Association, or EPSA, which represents companies that own power plants in competitive electricity markets.
“With a full complement of five commissioners, FERC will be able to continue advancing the essential work needed to deliver reliable, affordable, and clean energy to everyone across the country,” said Ted Kelly, director of clean energy at the nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund.
FERC, which regulates interstate transmission and wholesale sales of electricity as well as interstate transmission of natural gas and oil, among other things, “rarely appears on people’s radar screens,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. “But its mission is essential. Every time you turn on the light, touch the thermostat or see new power lines go up, FERC’s rules, regulations (and) policies are at work.”
According to Schumer, releasing the seats could “cause serious backlogs and delays, potentially delaying new projects that power homes and cities.”
The new commissioners are: David Rosner, a Democrat and FERC energy industry analyst; West Virginia Attorney General Lindsay See, a Republican who led the state’s successful legal battle against the Environmental Protection Agency’s carbon rules; and Judy Chang, a Democrat, energy economist and former assistant secretary of energy and climate solutions for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She is also an adjunct lecturer and senior fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School.
The Senate approved Rosner and See on Wednesday and Chang on Thursday.
They join Chairman Willie Phillips, a Democrat, and Commissioner Mark Christie, a Republican. Commissioner Allison Clements, a Democrat, announced earlier this year that she would not seek a second term. By law, FERC has five members, of which a maximum of three come from the same political party. They are appointed by the president with the “advice and consent of the Senate” and serve staggered terms of five years.
Although the committee will maintain a 3-2 Democratic majority, at least one environmental group has been critical of Rosner’s choice.
Friends of the Earth called Rosner’s ties to fossil fuels “disqualifying” and condemned his work with the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, headed by powerful and pro-coal Senator Joe Manchin, of West Virginia, who changed his registration from Democratic in May to independent. Manchin recommended Rosner, who also previously served as a senior policy adviser at the U.S. Department of Energy and deputy director at the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Energy Project, for the committee seat last year, Politico’s E&E News reported. The Koch Industries-linked American Energy Alliance has also criticized Chang’s past opposition to new natural gas pipelines. But for the Senate at least, the relatively smooth confirmation process seemed to demonstrate that having a full complement of commissioners was preferable to fighting over individual nominees.
“We all know that having a fully staffed FERC will make a big difference in what we do in this country,” Manchin told his colleagues on Tuesday, adding that each of the nominees had cleared his committee with “extremely strong” support from both parties. .
“Each of the nominees has demonstrated deep energy and legal experience, a commitment to following the law and working within the authorities Congress has provided to FERC, and a recognition that all of our nation’s resources play an important role in providing affordable, reliable energy to families and businesses across our country.”
Senator John Barrasso, a Republican from Wyoming and ranking member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, noted that FERC was without a quorum for seven months during the Obama administration and initiated many projects “that help keep the lights on, our energy to warm up’. homes and aid to our allies abroad” on hold.
“While I may not always agree with all the nominees on all issues, they are all well qualified,” he said.
Post-industry and clean energy groups are breathing a sigh of relief as the Senate approves energy regulators. This first appeared on NC Newsline.
