The Senate ensured that political reality as lawmakers approved three new members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, including two Democrats.
The votes give Democrats a 3-2 majority on the commission until at least June 2026, when the term of Democratic Chairman Willie Phillips is set to expire.“A fully seated, bipartisan FERC provides more opportunity for advancing long-lasting, sensible energy infrastructure policy,'' said West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat-turned-independent who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
Manchin said he knows Rosner well: "I have seen firsthand his expert knowledge on energy issues, his fairness, his nonpartisan approach to every problem we’ve had, and his ability to work with both sides on these issues, and he’s done that tremendously.'' Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia opposed Rosner and See, saying he continued to be unhappy about federal approval of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a longtime Manchin priority.Americans for a Clean Energy Grid, an advocacy group that supports expansion and modernization of the electric grid, hailed the Senate votes, saying FERC "operates most effectively with a full slate of commissioners.