Senate confirms Bernie McNamee as FERC Commissioner

The U.S. Senate voted Thursday to confirm Bernard “Bernie” McNamee to be a member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

McNamee will serve the remainder of a term that ends on June 30, 2020.

“I am pleased to welcome Bernie to the Commission, and I look forward to working with him and my FERC colleagues on the important matters that are before the Commission,” FERC Chairman Neil Chatterjee said. “Bernie’s knowledge and experience will serve the Commission well.”

McNamee previously served in several high-level positions at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

“EEI and America’s electric companies thank Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the Senate for recognizing the importance of maintaining a full Commission and for voting to confirm Commissioner Bernard McNamee,” Edison Electric Institute (EEI) President Tom Kuhn said. “We congratulate Commissioner McNamee, who brings an extensive amount of experience on federal and state energy policy and a strong commitment to public service.”

The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a hearing for McNamee on Nov. 15 and favorably reported his nomination to the full Senate on Nov. 27.

“I congratulate Mr. McNamee and am pleased that FERC will once again have a full complement of five commissioners,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), chairman of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, said. “We have worked hard in this Congress to ensure FERC has a full bench, so that our nation can, in turn, have the infrastructure needed to deliver affordable, reliable, clean, diverse, and secure energy.”