U.S. Senate confirms Phillips as FERC commissioner

The U.S. Senate on Tuesday unanimously confirmed District of Columbia Public Service Commission Chairman Willie Phillips, a Democrat, as the newest member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

The Senate’s confirmation of Phillips, President Joe Biden’s choice to fill an empty seat on the commission, brings FERC back to its full, five-member panel. Democrats will now have a 3-2 majority on the commission.

“I offer my sincere congratulations to D.C. Public Service Chairman Willie Phillips on his Senate confirmation vote tonight,” FERC Chairman Rich Glick said. “As I’ve said, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission functions best when it has a full complement of Commissioners.”

The Biden Administration has said that as it works to combat climate change, advance environmental justice, and create a clean electricity grid by 2035, FERC will play a critical role in regulating the transmission of carbon-free energy.

U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said Phillips “understands the need to balance affordability and reliability and will bring that outlook to the Commission. And his unanimous confirmation, at a time when the Senate is uniquely divided, is evidence that he is supremely qualified and the right person to fully seat FERC.”

The Edison Electric Institute (EEI), which represents the nation’s investor-owned electric companies, congratulated Phillips on his confirmation.

“I have known and worked with Commissioner Phillips for several years. He is an exceptional leader who will bring a wealth of experience to the Commission, which today may be busier than it ever has been before,” said Phil Moeller, executive vice president of the Business Operations Group and Regulatory Affairs at EEI. “I look forward to our work together on the many issues impacting EEI’s member companies, including enhancing energy grid reliability and security and developing the critical infrastructure needed to deliver more clean energy to the customers and communities that we are so proud to serve.”

When announcing Biden’s intention to nominate Phillips as a FERC commissioner in September, the White House said Phillips was a “thoughtful and innovative leader in modernizing the energy grid, implementing the District’s aggressive clean energy and climate goals, and in protecting the District’s customers.”

Phillips, a regulatory attorney, has nearly 20 years of legal experience as a utility regulator, in private practice, and as in-house counsel. Prior to his work at the D.C. Public Service Commission, Phillips was Assistant General Counsel for the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC).