Senate confirms new FERC commissioner

Washington, D.C. -- Last night, the U.S. Senate confirmed Willie Phillips to fill a vacant position on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the nation’s independent energy regulator. 

FERC will make several key decisions in the coming months that could accelerate the transition towards clean energy or lock the country into continued fossil fuel dependence and environmental injustice. The agency is currently reviewing its processes for approving interstate gas pipelines and liquified fracked gas projects to ensure it is fully accounting for their impacts to the climate and marginalized communities. 

FERC also faces questions about its process for measuring whether additional gas pipelines are necessary and in the public interest. A federal judge recently voided FERC’s certification of a pipeline in St. Louis over concerns that the project’s developer was engaging in self-dealing - a disturbingly common practice that risks ratepayers being charged for unnecessary infrastructure costs. Uncertainty around the pipeline led the gas utility to threaten their customers with wintertime service interruptions, though FERC is expected to extend a temporary permit allowing the pipeline to continue to operate at their Thursday meeting.

The agency has never denied permits for a gas project on environmental justice grounds, despite growing evidence that pipelines are disproportionately located in vulnerable communities. Earlier this year, federal courts ruled that the agency failed to account for the climate and environmental justice impacts of two giant gas export terminals on the Gulf Coast. 

FERC is also considering potential changes to wholesale energy markets that would allow for more competition from carbon-free resources and could remove roadblocks to the development of locally owned and operated clean energy and storage projects. The Commission is critical to  the development of interstate electric transmission projects that are key to unlocking clean energy potential.

Kelly Sheehan, Senior Director of Energy Campaigns at the Sierra Club, issued the following statement:

“Key decisions about our nation’s energy future are made at FERC. Commissioner Phillips must push the agency to address climate and environmental justice impacts of fracked gas pipelines and export terminals, and accelerate the transition to clean, affordable electricity. With the costs of fossil fuels rising and climate-driven extreme weather worsening, now is the time to act boldly for a clean energy economy.”