Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski is not ready to applaud President Trump’s nominations meant to restore the nation’s lead energy watchdog.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission “has now been without a quorum for more than three full months, and it is imperative that a quorum is restored as expeditiously as possible,” said Nicole Daigle, spokeswoman for the Alaska Republican, in an email to the Washington Examiner.
The five-member commission, which oversees natural gas pipeline development and the nation’s electric grid, was forced to shut down after it lacked at least three members required by law to make decisions or issue orders. It currently has just two commissioners, with one planning to step down when her term ends in June.
Trump’s announcement Monday night to appoint Neil Chatterjee, senior energy adviser to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Rob Powelson, an energy regulator from Pennsylvania, to the commission was just one step in a longer process, Daigle said.
The White House announcement was only “an intent to nominate,” according to Daigle. But a lot more needed to happen before Murkowski is ready to tout Trump’s choices. “So the senator hasn’t issued a statement” and won’t until the White House sends formal nomination announcements to the Senate.
Murkowski’s committee has prime jurisdiction and oversight of FERC. She will be in charge of scheduling confirmation hearings and moving the two appointees through the Senate process, which has proved to be arduous in recent months.
“This continues to be a top priority for Sen. Murkowski, and the committee will schedule a hearing as soon as we receive formal nominations and the proper paperwork,” Daigle said.
A number of industry groups touted Trump’s nomination announcement. Dave McCurdy, the CEO of the America Gas Association, urged “the prompt confirmation of these nominees by the Senate,” saying restoration of a quorum “will allow FERC to continue its important work for the natural gas industry – including timely decisions on pending and future interstate natural gas infrastructure project certificates.”
Christopher Guith, senior vice president of the Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for 21st Century Energy, said the president made “phenomenal” picks “given the complexity and importance of the issues” before the commission.
“From strained competitive markets to crucial energy infrastructure, FERC faces many challenges, and these nominees will help move America toward a more secure energy future,” Guith said.
