Originally posted on Troutman Sanders’ Washington Energy Report

By Russell Kooistra & Christopher Zentz

According to various reports, President Donald Trump plans to appoint Kevin McIntyre as FERC Chairman, and Neil Chatterjee and Rob Powelson as FERC Commissioners, to fill the three vacant Commissioner seats at FERC. All three potential appointees are Republicans, whereas the current Commissioners—Acting Chairman Cheryl LaFleur and Commissioner Collette Honorable—are Democrats.

 

McIntyre currently is co-head of the energy practice of an international law firm. If appointed Chairman of FERC, Acting Chairman LaFleur would return to being a Commissioner. Chatterjee has been the energy policy advisor to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell since 2012. Prior to that, Chatterjee worked as a lobbyist for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. Powelson has served as a Commissioner of the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission (“Pennsylvania PUC”) since 2008 and was Chairman of the Pennsylvania PUC for four years. Powelson is also currently serving a one-year term as president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners.

If at least one of the potential appointees is confirmed by the U.S. Senate, then FERC would no longer be without a quorum (see February 21, 2017 edition of the WER).