President Trump is looking to fully staff the nation’s top energy watchdog as its membership wanes to just one commissioner on Friday.
Trump intends to nominate Richard Glick to serve as a commissioner on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to fill a Democratic spot at the agency that will open as of the close of business Friday, the White House said Wednesday evening.
Glick, who is chief counsel on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, would replace FERC Commissioner Colette Honorable, who is stepping down when her term ends Friday.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has been without a quorum for nearly five months, forcing it to end all decision-making activities and energy infrastructure approvals. It regulates the interstate electric grid and natural gas and oil pipelines.
Trump has sent two Republican nominations to the Senate that were both confirmed at the committee level. They still are awaiting approval by the full Senate. Glick would need to be approved similarly.
The commission is meant to be five members with equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans, while the chairman shares the same party as the president. It must have at least three commissioners to function, but has been down to just two since February.
This has been the first time in the commission’s 40-year history that it has lacked a quorum. As of Friday evening, the commission will have only one remaining member, acting chairwoman Cheryl LaFleur, a Democrat.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, the chairwoman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which oversees FERC, is pushing for votes on the nominees as quickly as possible.
“Although I understand and respect Commissioner Honorable’s decision to step down this week, her departure again underscores the urgent need to re-establish a quorum at FERC,” Murkowski said before Glick was nominated. “Getting the agency back to the normal course of business remains a top priority for me. I will continue to push for a confirmation vote for Neil Chatterjee and Robert Powelson, who were favorably reported by the Energy and Natural Resources Committee earlier this month on a strong bipartisan basis.”
She said that once Chatterjee and Powelson are confirmed by the full Senate, the commission can start working almost immediately.
“FERC will be able to get back to work on the day these qualified nominees are confirmed,” Murkowski said. “I hope my colleagues among the Senate minority will join us in enabling a quick vote for Mr. Chatterjee and Mr. Powelson.”
A White House spokeswoman could not confirm when the Glick nomination would be sent to the Senate, kicking off the formal confirmation process. However, industry groups were already responding to the news, praising Trump’s decision to appoint him.
“It is our hope that nominating Glick for the soon-to-be-open Democratic seat will facilitate a bipartisan agreement in the Senate on restoring a quorum at FERC,” said Don Santa, president and chief executive officer of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, representing large interstate gas pipeline developers.
“We estimate that about $14 billion in private capital — ready to be deployed on energy infrastructure projects — is being held on the sidelines while FERC lacks a quorum and cannot act on major projects,” Santa added.
