Shannon Van Hoesen, shannon.vanhoesen@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, DC – The White House selected Commissioner Willie Phillips to be the Acting Chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the nation’s independent energy regulator. Strong leadership at FERC, as well as a fifth commissioner, is crucial to advance climate and energy reliability issues and avoid gridlock.
Sierra Club congratulates Mr. Phillips on his appointment as Acting Chair, and encourages him to carry forward former Chair Glick's ambitious agenda to significantly transform transmission planning to improve reliability and facilitate low-cost decarbonization. Improved transmission will address reliability concerns, especially during winter months in places like New England, and will lower costs for consumers.
FERC must center climate and environmental justice in its decisions and update its rules to reflect the importance of those factors, including finalizing a draft policy that would clarify the ways in which greenhouse gas emission totals are evaluated for methane gas pipelines and export facilities. Commissioner Phillips and other commissioners highlighted the flaws in the agency’s decision-making framework during remarks around the recent decision to certify Commonwealth LNG, a liquified methane gas export terminal.
Sierra Club urges President Biden to nominate an additional commissioner who prioritizes climate and environmental justice as soon as possible.
In response, Kelly Sheehan, Sierra Club Senior Director of Energy Campaigns, released the following statement:
“FERC makes key decisions about our nation’s energy future and strong leadership is vitally important. Major reforms to accelerate the transition to clean, affordable electricity are necessary and achievable. The agency must address climate and environmental justice impacts of fracked gas pipelines and export terminals in a way that prioritizes the health of communities overburdened by pollution instead of billion dollar oil and gas companies. Consumers are facing record-breaking prices for electricity and methane gas and the impacts of climate change are worsening before our eyes. Now is the time for bold leadership and decisive action.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.