Chris Van Hollen: “President Trump has nominated Bernard McNamee to be a member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, FERC. FERC is…”

“President Trump has nominated Bernard McNamee to be a member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, FERC. FERC is an independent agency that regulates the interstate transmission of electricity, natural gas, and oil. FERC also reviews proposals to build liquefied natural gas, LNG, terminals and interstate natural gas pipelines, as well as licensing hydropower projects. Historically, FERC has been independent and nonpartisan. I am concerned that, if confirmed, Mr. McNamee would threaten the nonpartisan independence of FERC. Mr. McNamee has a long-standing history of being an opponent of clean energy and led Texas's efforts to challenge the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan. In remarks before the Texas Public Policy Foundation, TPPF, and sponsored by Koch Industries in February 2018, Mr. McNamee said fossil fuels are ``key to our way of life,'' but renewable energy ``screws up the whole physics of the grid.'' He also portrayed industry lawsuits with environmental groups as a ``constant battle between liberty and tyranny.'' While at the Department of Energy, Mr. McNamee was a key player in the agency's failed attempt to bail out the coal industry and upend wholesale energy markets. Furthermore, I am very concerned that Mr. McNamee will take us backwards in the fight to combat climate change.…”