The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee meets tomorrow to consider President Biden’s three nominees for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC): David Rosner, Lindsay See and Judy Chang.
Below is a statement by Mike Jacobs, who leads the Union of Concerned Scientists’ work on electricity markets and regulatory reform.
“I may not agree with all the nominees, but I respect the bipartisanship with which President Biden put forward a slate that could get through the Senate. Judy Chang, David Rosner and Lindsay See have a diverse range of views on FERC’s authority and the federal government’s role in shaping the nation’s energy future, but this must not prevent the commission from acting quickly on the urgent matters at hand. Needed reliability and energy investments will hinge on the constructive work done by these new commissioners.
“Ensuring robust compliance with FERC’s recent rulemakings regarding regional transmission planning and interconnecting new resources, finalizing new rules for interregional transmission and the fair treatment of battery storage in the wholesale markets, as well as court-ordered reforms to its permitting process for natural gas infrastructure that includes consideration of climate impacts and meaningful input from impacted communities should all be priorities for these incoming commissioners.
“There’s a lot on FERC’s plate right now, but at this critical time in the nation’s transition away from fossil fuels it’s incumbent on these new commissioners to understand the challenges facing the energy sector and their responsibility to use FERC’s existing authority to address these challenges in ways that ensure a clean, reliable, equitable, and affordable energy future for all. We look forward to working with them towards that end.”
Additional UCS Resources and Analyses:
• The UCS blog “Update the Electricity Grid Without Undermining Environmental Protections”
• The UCS blog “How FERC Transmission Reform Can End the Delay of a Cleaner Future”
• The UCS blog “With New FERC Office of Public Participation, You Can Help Shape Energy in Your Community”
• The white paper “Building Transmission to Secure A Clean & Equitable Electricity Grid”