WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden’s control over a key federal energy commission will last beyond his first term, giving a boost to Democrats’ push for renewable energy regardless of the November election results.
The Senate moved to ensure this political reality, as lawmakers approved two new members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and scheduled a vote on a third new member of the panel as early as Thursday.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said confirming the three nominees would allow FERC to “maintain its quorum and continue its mission of providing Americans with affordable, reliable and safe energy.”
The five-member commission oversees natural gas pipelines and other energy infrastructure, including the transmission of electricity across state lines. The panel approved a long-awaited rule last month making it easier to transmit renewable energy, such as wind and solar, to the electrical grid — a key part of Biden’s goal of eliminate greenhouse gas emissions across the economy by 2050. The rule aims to boost the country’s aging electrical grid to meet growing demand fueled by massive data centers, electrification of vehicles and buildings, artificial intelligence and other uses.
Earlier this week, the agency approved a nearly $8 billion Mountain Valley Pipeline order begin shipping natural gas through rugged mountain slopes in West Virginia and Virginia, despite long-standing objections from environmental groups, landowners and some elected officials.
On Wednesday, the Senate approved the nominations of Democrat David Rosner and Republican Lindsay See for three- and four-year terms, respectively, on the commission. Senators also limited debate on Democrat Judy Chang’s nomination to a five-year term. A final vote on Chang’s nomination to replace Democrat Allison Clements could come as early as Thursday.
If passed as expected, the vote would give Democrats a working majority on the commission until at least June 2026, when Democratic Chairman Willie Phillips’ term is set to expire.
“A fully established, bipartisan FERC provides more opportunities to advance sensible and lasting energy infrastructure policies,” said West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat turned independent who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
“When it comes to fairly weighing all interests, five heads are better than one,” Manchin said Wednesday. “Bringing together five different people, with five different life experiences and perspectives, helps ensure that all affected interests will be heard and fairly considered and evaluated” by the energy commission.
Rosner, See and Chang “are very different people from very different backgrounds,” said Manchin, who supported all three nominees. “What matters most is their willingness to work with each other, to consider and evaluate very different interests and points of view, and to set aside partisan passions in favor of the public interest.”
Rosner, a former FERC official, spent the last two years on Manchin’s Democratic team on the energy committee. See, who serves as West Virginia’s attorney general, argued the state’s case in defiance of a key US Environmental Protection Agency Rule on Power Plant Pollution before the Supreme Court. Chang, from Massachusetts, is a former state government deputy secretary for energy and climate solutions.
Manchin said he knows Rosner well: “I’ve seen firsthand his expertise on energy issues, his fairness, his nonpartisan approach to every problem we’ve had and his ability to work with both sides on these issues, and he’s done that tremendously. .”
Manchin, a moderate politician who plays a crucial role on energy issues, called See “a very capable and experienced lawyer” who is “well qualified to serve on the commission.”
Chang, who now teaches at Harvard’s Kennedy School, led energy policy under Republican governor Charlie Baker. “I can think of no better preparation for serving on a bipartisan commission than working for a Republican administration in a very blue state,” Manchin said.
Rosner’s nomination was approved 67-27, while See won approval 83-12.
Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia opposed both nominations, saying he remained dissatisfied with federal approval of the Mountain Valley pipeline, a longtime Manchin priority.
“I voted no to rubberstamp the same people at FERC,” Kaine said in a statement.
This story originally appeared on ABCNews.go.com read the full story
