US Senate Democrats called on President Donald J. Trump to fill vacancies promptly at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission with Democrats as well as Republicans. FERC has not had a quorum since Feb. 3, when the resignation of its former chairman, Norman Bay, became effective after Trump replaced him in that post.
“FERC has a long tradition of bipartisanship; most votes within the commission are unanimous. In 2016, less than 2% of the orders issued included a dissenting opinion,” Energy and Natural Resources Committee Ranking Minority Member Maria E. Cantwell (D-Wash.) and 15 other Senate Democrats said.
In addition to the three vacant commission seats, a fourth that is currently held by Colette Honorable is scheduled to expire on June 30. By law, not more than three members of FERC may be members of the same political party, the senators noted. Historically, both Republican and Democratic presidents have nominated people recommended by the Senate leader of the party that does not hold the presidency, they said.
“We hope that your nominees will be prepared to continue this tradition, and we intend to review them through that lens during the confirmation process,” the Senate Democrats told the president in their Mar. 8 letter.
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