By Peter Key
Richard Glick was sworn in at FERC on Wednesday, giving the commission four members as it awaits the arrival of its new chairman, Republican Kevin McIntyre.
Glick, the general counsel for the Democrats on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and McIntyre, the co-leader of the global energy practice at the law firm Jones Day, were confirmed by the Senate on Nov. 2.
Glick, who will serve a term ending in June 2022, did not respond to a request for comment. The term for McIntyre, who will replace fellow Republican Neil Chatterjee as chairman, ends in June 2023. A FERC spokesman said the agency had no information on when McIntyre will be sworn in.
No Conspiracy
The delays in the commissioners’ arrival led some observers to speculate that the Trump administration was purposely dragging its feet so the two could not take part in a vote on the Department of Energy’s proposed price supports for struggling coal and nuclear generators.
On Tuesday, Chatterjee attempted to quash that notion after speaking at a Consumer Energy Alliance event.
“I do want to be clear with everybody: You guys are reading way too much into this,” Chatterjee told reporters, according to an account in The Hill. “There is no conspiracy here. There is no intentional delay or dragging things out to some nefarious end.”
Chatterjee has proposed “interim” protections for threatened generators while the commission considers the department’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. Chatterjee, the only commissioner who has publicly supported the NOPR, said FERC will act on the rulemaking by Dec. 11. (See Chatterjee ‘We’ve Moved Past’ DOE NOPR.)
Commissioners Rob Powelson, a Republican, and Cheryl LaFleur, a Democrat, have reacted more warily to the NOPR, expressing concern it could damage wholesale markets. They have declined to take a position on Chatterjee’s “interim” proposal. (See DOE, Pugliese Press ‘Baseload’ Rescue at NARUC.)
Glick and McIntyre have not commented publicly on the NOPR. During his Senate confirmation hearing, however, McIntyre said, “FERC is not an entity whose role includes choosing fuels for the generation of electricity.”
Glick’s Experience
Before joining the Senate staff, Glick was vice president of government affairs for Iberdrola’s U.S. renewable energy, electric and gas utility, and natural gas storage businesses. Earlier, he served as a director of government affairs for PPM Energy and PacifiCorp, and legislative director and chief counsel to Sen. Dale Bumpers (D-Ark.). During the Clinton administration, he was a senior policy adviser to Energy Secretary Bill Richardson.
He is a graduate of George Washington University and Georgetown Law. He and his wife, Erin, have a son.