President Biden has nominated two Democrats and one Republican to join FERC, which has been perilously short-handed for months.
By statute, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is to be composed of five people, with no more than three from the same political party. Only three people are serving FERC today, led by Chair Willie Phillips, a Democrat who was nominated to lead the Commission in February. Allison Clements, another Democrat, is planning to leave the Commission in June. Republican Commissioner Mark C. Christie was nominated by President Trump.
To ensure FERC can operate, the White House has nominated Democrats Judy Chang and David Rosner. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky nominated Republican Lindsay S. See.
Chang, an energy economics and policy expert, formerly was Massachusetts’ Undersecretary of Energy and Climate Solutions. Chang has been an adjunct lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and is a senior fellow at the Kennedy School’s Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government.
Chang also serves as an ambassador for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Clean Energy Education & Empowerment Initiative, and she is a founding board member of New England Women in Energy and the Environment. Chang holds a master’s degree in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School and a bachelor of science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of California, Davis.
Rosner, an energy industry analyst for FERC, is currently on detail to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee for the Democratic staff. He works for West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who chairs the panel. Manchin had submitted Rosner’s name as a potential FERC contender.
During his time working at FERC, Rosner led efforts related to the rulemaking on energy storage resources, electric transmission, offshore wind integration, fuel security, and natural gas-electric coordination.
Rosner previously was senior policy adviser for the DOE’s Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis and was an associate director at the Bipartisan Policy Center’s energy project. He holds degrees in economics and public policy.
See is the Solicitor General of West Virginia, where she manages appellate and high-stakes litigation for the state. In addition to managing West Virginia’s civil and criminal appellate dockets, See’s work focuses on regulatory and administrative law matters. She previously practiced appellate and administrative law for Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Washington, DC.
See graduated from Harvard Law School and clerked for Judge Thomas B. Griffith on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit.
The Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) welcomed the nominees.
CEO Amy Andryszak said the trade group would urge the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee leadership to “quickly vet the qualifications…and advance them through the confirmation process” to ensure FERC no longer has vacancies.
“We are encouraged that the White House has started this important nomination process,” Andryszak said. “Vacancies at FERC potentially risk the development of the energy infrastructure needed to deliver natural gas to American homes and businesses and to our allies abroad.
“As an independent regulatory agency, the Commission plays a critical role in ensuring our nation has reliable energy infrastructure to provide all Americans with safe, secure, and affordable access to natural gas, electricity, and other transportation fuels. We look forward to a swift confirmation process in the Senate.”
