Trump Names Nominees for U.S. Energy Agency Crippled by a Missing Quorum
- FERC can’t approve energy projects until Senate confims picks
- Senate confirmation process could drag into summer months
Neil Chatterjee speaks at the 2016 Concordia Summit on Sept. 20, 2016, in New York City.
Photographer: Ben Hider/Getty Images for Concordia SummitPresident Donald Trump has chosen a longtime aide to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and a state utility regulator to serve on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, bringing the agency one step closer to regaining its power to rule on natural gas pipelines and utility mergers.
Trump plans to nominate Neil Chatterjee, a senior energy adviser to McConnell who previously worked for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, and Robert Powelson, a member of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, for terms expiring in 2021 and 2020, respectively, an emailed statement from the White House late Monday shows. Kevin McIntyre, co-head of Jones Day’s global energy practice, was said to be Trump’s pick to lead the agency.