Washington — President Joe Biden’s grip on key federal energy committees will likely last beyond his first term, giving Democrats a boost in their renewable energy push regardless of the outcome of the November election.
The Senate moved to ensure political reality as lawmakers approved two new members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and voted on a third new panelist on Thursday.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that if the three nominees are confirmed, FERC will be able to “maintain a quorum and continue our mission of providing affordable, reliable and safe energy to the American people.”
The five-member commission oversees natural gas pipelines and other energy infrastructure, including the transmission of electricity across state lines. The panel approved long-awaited rules last month to make it easier to transmit renewable energy, such as wind and solar power, onto the grid. It’s a key part of Biden’s goal to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions across the economy by 2050. This rule aims to: Strengthens the country’s aging power grid to meet surging demand from large-scale data centers, electrification of vehicles and buildings, artificial intelligence and other uses.
Earlier this week, despite long-standing opposition from environmental groups, landowners and some elected officials, the agency announced that the roughly $8 billion Mountain Valley Pipeline would be built across the rugged mountainsides of West Virginia and Virginia. Approved the request to start sending gas.
The Senate on Wednesday approved the nominations of Democrat David Rosner and Republican Lindsay See to three- and four-year terms, respectively, to the committee. Senators also limited debate on the nomination of Democrat Judy Chang to a five-year term. A final vote on Zhang’s nomination to replace Democrat Allison Clements could take place as early as Thursday.
If approved as expected, the vote would give Democrats an actual majority on the committee until at least June 2026, when Democratic Chairman Willie Phillips’ term expires.
“A fully established, bipartisan FERC provides more opportunity to advance reasonable, long-lasting energy infrastructure policy,” said West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat-turned-independent who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. He said.
“Five people are better than one when it comes to fairly assessing all interests,” Manchin said Wednesday. “Bringing together five different people with diverse life experiences and perspectives helps ensure that all affected interests are heard and fairly considered and evaluated by the Energy Commission.”
Rosner, See and Chang are “very different people with very different backgrounds,” said Manchin, who endorsed all three candidates. “What matters most is the willingness to work together, consider and evaluate different interests and perspectives, and set aside partisan passions for the common good.”
Rosner, a former FERC staffer, has served on Manchin’s Democratic staff on the Energy Committee for the past two years. See, West Virginia’s deputy attorney general, argued the state’s lawsuit before the Supreme Court challenging a key U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ruling on power plant pollution. Chang, a Massachusetts native, was the state’s former 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 bipartisan approach to every issue we face, and his ability to work with both sides on those issues. And he’s done a tremendous job of that. .”
Manchin, a political moderate who plays a prominent role on energy issues, called See a “very capable and experienced lawyer” who is “qualified to serve on the committee.”
Chang, who now teaches at the Harvard Kennedy School, led energy policy under Republican Gov. Charlie Baker. “I can think of no better preparation for serving on a bipartisan committee than working for a Republican administration in a very depressed state,” Manchin said.
Rosner’s nomination was approved 67-27 and See’s was approved 83-12.
Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia opposed both candidates, saying he remains dissatisfied with federal approval of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, which has long been a priority of Manchin.
“I voted against inspiring fellow seniors to FERC,” Kaine said in a statement.
