Energy expert Daniel Yergin kicked off the Trump administration’s “Energy Week” conference on Thursday by urging the Senate to confirm President Trump’s energy commission nominees, calling them the best and “cheapest” infrastructure investment the country can make.
“We usually talk about billions of dollars, but the cheapest investment we can make in infrastructure is for the Senate to approve the [Federal Energy Regulatory Commission] commissioners that the administration has nominated,” Yergin said to loud applause from attendees.
FERC is charged with overseeing the interstate delivery of electricity, natural gas and crude oil, including the approval of billions of dollars of energy projects. However, the commission has been shut down for nearly five months because it doesn’t have enough members to form a quorum. It is the first time in its 40-year history that has happened.
The energy industry has been urging Trump and Congress for months to make restoring the FERC quorum a priority.
The commission requires at least three commissioners to function, but has been down to just two since February. It is supposed to have five commissioners made up of both Republicans and Democrats. At the end of business Friday, it will be down to just one member, Demcratic acting chairwoman Cheryl LaFleur.
Two commission nominees are awaiting approval on the Senate floor, and President Trump nominated another Wednesday night.
