Senate panel advances FERC nominee McNamee

US lawmakers today moved closer to confirming one of the architects of a plan to subsidize coal and nuclear plants to fill a vacancy at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

Twelve Republicans on the US Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and senator Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) voted to back Bernard McNamee to serve at FERC. The other 10 Democrats on the panel opposed the nomination, with some voicing concern about McNamee's impartiality, given his work last year in the administration to develop a plan to prop up struggling coal and nuclear plants.

The nomination has become more controversial since last week, when video emerged from a speech in which McNamee lauded fossil fuels, argued renewable energy "screws up" the electric grid and said environmentalists were trying to move toward "tyranny." McNamee gave the speech earlier this year while working at the conservative group the Texas Public Policy Foundation. He is now the executive director of the US Energy Department's policy office after having previously served as a deputy general counsel at the agency.

Committee chairman Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) ahead of the vote said McNamee's comments were "unfortunate" but not disqualifying. She said she would take at "face value" assurances McNamee gave her that he would maintain FERC's independence and autonomy. Murkowski also said she expected he would not champion one type of resource over another.

But Democrats said the remarks revealed a strong bias in favor of fossil fuels and against renewable energy. They said the video made it hard to believe that McNamee could deliver on his promise to be an impartial arbiter at the agency. FERC regulates the bulk electric power system, sets tariffs for pipelines and approves construction of interstate natural gas pipelines and LNG export facilities.

"McNamee's speech shows him to be neither fair nor judicious. The views he expressed are out of the mainstream," Cantwell said.

It will now fall to Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) to schedule a confirmation vote, which would use up valuable floor time unless he reaches a deal with Democrats over the coming weeks on nominations. President Donald Trump would have to nominate McNamee again next year, after the next US Congress convenes, if no vote is held by the end of December.

FERC is now evenly divided between two Republicans and two Democrats, creating the possibility of deadlocked 2-2 votes on contested issues such as the approval of large natural gas pipelines or major changes to electric grid rules. One of the Republican members at FERC, Kevin McIntyre, has missed almost all votes after he stepped down as chairman on 25 October because of health issues.