Kevin McIntyre, the newly sworn-in chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, has told Energy Secretary Rick Perry it needs a 30-day extension before it can rule on his proposal to subsidize coal and nuclear plants.

“The commission has sworn in two new members within the last two weeks,” McIntyre wrote to Perry in a letter addressed Thursday. “The proposed extension is critical to afford adequate time for the new commissioners to consider the voluminous record and engage fully in deliberations.”