Trump Appointee Who Wanted to Help Coal Gets Coal for Christmas

Neil Chatterjee listens during a nomination hearing in Washington, D.C., on May 25, 2017.

Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
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Despite months of trying, Republican Neil Chatterjee never did manage to pass a rule to save struggling coal plants by the end of his stint leading the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. As consolation, a Democratic colleague gave him a bag of coal.

“A 90-day supply!” Chatterjee joked as he accepted the gift Thursday from fellow commissioner Cheryl LaFleur at the agency’s monthly meeting. Chatterjee was referring to a proposal he had pushed to pay power plants that store 90 days of fuel on-site.