Senator Manchin Declines to Confirm FERC Chair Richard Glick

By Christian Roselund

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chair Joe Manchin has declined to hold a confirmation hearing for a second term for Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Chair Richard Glick. Senator Manchin’s move to hold up the process and deny the Democratics a 3-2 majority on FERC past the end of 2022 could frustrate the Democratic Party’s energy agenda including attempts to expedite transmission. The senator’s move follows an angry response to President Biden’s statements about the demise of coal-fired power in the United States.

FERC oversees interstate energy matters including oil and gas pipelines, transmission networks, and wholesale power markets. The agency’s commissioners are appointed by the president and are subject to senate confirmation. While commissioners will often remain after a new president comes into office, by custom FERC retains three members that represent the party that holds the presidency and two from the opposition party.

Glick’s first term at FERC has included a policy shift at FERC to consider the economic need for and environmental impacts of new interstate natural gas pipelines. Along with this move, FERC lowered the threshold for natural gas infrastructure to trigger a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review. He has also proposed a rule that would require FERC to consider the greenhouse gas implications of pipelines. These moves have been opposed by both Republican members of FERC, the American Gas Association, and Senator Joe Manchin, who has summoned Glick for questioning during hearings of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Glick’s departure will leave FERC with a 2-2 balance, which will make it harder to come to majority opinions. Clean energy advocates have expressed concern at the prospect of losing Glick, with American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) CEO Gregory Wetstone calling Manchin’s
move “disappointing.”

News analysis: Manchin FERC shake-up may stymie Biden’s clean energy plans (E&E News)