Political Quotes

“Mr. President, in a few moments, we are going to have an opportunity to vote on moving to proceed to the nominee for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. I come to the floor this afternoon to speak in support of that nominee, Mr. Bernard McNamee. Mr. McNamee has been nominated to serve on the FERC--the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission--to complete the remainder of the term that runs through June 30, 2020. The FERC is an independent agency within the Department of Energy. For a long period of time, nobody really paid much attention to the FERC or was quite sure what the mission was. The agency itself is one that has a very key and a very critical role within our country in that it regulates the electricity, the hydropower, the natural gas, and the oil pipeline industries. That basically means that FERC plays a critical role in keeping the lights on and ensuring the deliverability of reliable, safe, and affordable energy to American homes and businesses. The FERC really is key to so much of what goes on in the world of commerce and our economy. It is important that we move forward with this vote today. If we confirm Mr. McNamee, FERC will once again have a full complement of five Commissioners on that agency. This is something we have worked hard to restore in this Congress for a period of time. The Commission was down to just three Commissioners. They have a lot of work to do. The responsibilities are hard. Making sure that they are at full speed must be a priority.…”