The Senate voted June 13 to confirm Judy Chang to a five-year term at FERC, meaning the commission will be back to a full complement of five members even after Commissioner Allison Clements leaves at the end of the month.
Chang was confirmed in a 66-33 vote, with all the “nays” coming from Republicans. Her confirmation came the day after the Senate approved fellow nominees David Rosner and Lindsay See. (See related story, Rosner, See Clear Senate to Fill Out FERC.) Her term will expire June 30, 2029.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he was heartened to see the nominees confirmed with bipartisan support. FERC was in danger of losing a quorum when Clements left.
“This week, the Senate protected access to affordable, reliable and safe energy for all Americans,” Schumer said. The confirmations came “in the nick of time.”
The three sitting FERC commissioners welcomed all three confirmations in statements June 13.
“As I have said many times, the commission works best when it has five members, so I look forward to welcoming them to the commission so we can work collaboratively to ensure reliable, affordable and sustainable energy for all consumers,” said Chair Willie Phillips.
The other two commissioners also welcomed the new members yesterday, with Commissioner Mark Christie posting on X, and Clements offering congratulations during a talk at a meeting of the Energy Bar Association’s Northeast Chapter in D.C.
“I’m pretty excited that they’re all coming in together,” Clements said. “I think it’s a real opportunity for a reset and a new collaboration. Every new commission is that.”
The industry and other stakeholders also lauded the confirmations.
Edison Electric Institute President Dan Brouillette thanked the Senate and said all three new commissioners will bring extensive experience in the energy sector to FERC.
“We look forward to continuing to work with FERC on critical regulatory issues to ensure that electricity customers have the energy they need, when and where they need it, reliably and affordably,” Brouillette said.
Electric Power Supply Association CEO Todd Snitchler also said a full FERC is important to tackle the issues around growing demand, shifting generation mix and other major issues facing the energy sector.
“We were pleased to see all three of the incoming nominees make commitments to maintain FERC’s independence as an economic regulator focused on reliability during their confirmation hearings,” Snitchler said. “It will be essential that FERC works to address wholesale power market barriers and opportunities to ensure reliability and drive competitive investment. Support for the proven ability of markets to deliver reliable, cost-effective and innovative grid solutions will be essential.”
American Clean Power Association CEO Jason Grumet also commended the Senate for approving the three “talented” new commissioners.
“The strong bipartisan support they received reflects the quality and caliber of these nominees and broad appreciation of the critical role FERC must play in modernizing our nation’s energy infrastructure,” Grumet said.
The Natural Resources Defense Council’s Sustainable FERC Project Senior Attorney Christy Walsh said her group looked forward to working with the new commissioners.
“FERC is at the center of the clean energy transition, and with a full FERC commission, we now can focus on the hard work ahead,” Walsh said. “There are tough challenges that must be addressed, chiefly, providing badly needed system upgrades, addressing a scarcity of transmission capacity and implementing long overdue, common-sense guardrails to our natural gas system.”
“As they take their place on the commission bench, the commissioners must incorporate climate and environmental justice impacts into their decisions, not succumb to the pressure from fossil fuel interests,” Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous said. “In doing so, FERC can do its job, working for consumers who simply want to keep the lights on while protecting the health of their families and the planet.”
