Senate committee holds hearing on new FERC appointment

The U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a hearing to consider the appointment of James Danly to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

Danly, who is currently FERC’s general counsel, has been nominated to fill a seat left vacant by the passing of FERC Chair Kevin McIntyre earlier this year. Danly completed two tours of duty with the Army in Iraq, where he received a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.

“During Mr. Danly’s time as General Counsel, the Commission has tackled key issues such as energy storage, infrastructure development, and reform of the agency’s regulations under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), chair of the committee, said. “He is well-qualified to be a commissioner, and once he is confirmed, he will be responsible for addressing the many remaining critical issues on FERC’s plate. Among these are grid resilience and capacity market reform, both of which are critical to the reliability of our nation’s electric system.”

There is a second seat open on FERC following the departure of Commissioner Cheryl LaFleur in August.

“I would remind my colleagues that FERC is set up to avoid the need for pairings, that we already paired this seat for the current term in 2017, and that it is not fair to tell the Republican nominee to wait, given that this seat has been open for 10 months and ends a full year earlier than the term for the Democratic seat,” Murkowski said. “When we receive a Democratic nominee, we will hear that nomination as we normally would. If that individual has support to be reported from committee, we will move to report his or her nomination to the full Senate.”

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), ranking member on the committee, believes there should have been pairing in this case.

“I have been vocal about the importance of pairing this nomination with a nominee for the open Democratic seat. It is not the Chairman’s responsibility for that, and it is not yours. I understand completely…This is one committee that’s worked very well as a bipartisan committee. We’ve looked at the facts, looked at what’s best for our country, and our regions, and been able to have input on both sides. Without any conflicts whatsoever. And to put us in a situation to where we can have a conflict, and it could be avoided, is just not right,” Manchin said.