Long-time federal utility regulator Philip Moeller is stepping down after nearly a decade of work that goes back to the George W. Bush administration.
Moeller, a Republican, has been a vocal member of the five-member Federal Energy Regulatory Commission who has warned of the potential harm to the power grid from the Obama’s administration’s environmental policies.
He has been a firm advocate of the agency’s involvement in evaluating the effects of the administration’s climate change policies on the grid and is one of the reasons the Environmental Protection Agency added a “safety valve” mechanism in its final version of the Clean Power Plan, the centerpiece of President Obama’s climate agenda.
Despite Moeller’s vocal concerns about the EPA rule, Obama renominated Moeller, who is regarded highly by both Democrats and Republicans on the commission. The commission comprises two Democrats and two Republicans and a chairman from the party holding the White House.
No one has been chosen yet to replace Moeller, but Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, likely will send the White House a recommendation. One Republican, Tony Clark of North Dakota, remains on the commission.
“FERC is an amazing agency, and I have been honored and privileged to have had the opportunity to serve our nation as a FERC commissioner,” Moeller said.
