The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last weekreadily voted out the renomination of Commissioner Curt Hebert Jr.to a new five-year term at the Federal Energy RegulatoryCommission. The reappointment is now headed to the full Senate,which could confirm it as early as this week.

At his confirmation hearing last Thursday, Hebert encountered noresistance from the only two committee members that showed up toquestion him – Chairman Frank Murkowski (R-AK) and Sen. Larry Craig(R-ID).

Likewise, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS) and Sen. ThadCochran (R-MS) gave Hebert a ringing endorsement for a secondterm, which would expire in June 2004. Lott told the committee thatHebert had agreed to serve his first FERC term, which was only apartial one, “with the understanding that he would get a fullappointment after that.” Hebert, a Republican, had finished out theterm that was vacated by former Commissioner Donald Santa. Thatexpired on June 30th, and Hebert has been serving under a graceperiod since.

“There was some delay in getting [this] done,” Lott said,referring to the hold-up at the White House with Hebert’srenomination. “But we’re very appreciative of the fact that theWhite House did keep its commitment” in the end.

Lott, who has monitored Hebert’s performance during his firstterm, believes Hebert has been good for the Commission. “I knowthat at one of the FERC meetings he attended, which was supposed tobe…routine, he sort of stopped the train and said ‘hey, wait aminute; I’m going to ask some questions,’ and shocked some people.”

When Hebert became a Mississippi regulator at the age of 29,”people were worried that he didn’t have the experience to assumethose responsibilities,” but he proved them wrong, said Cochran.”And he has demonstrated that he can handle this job too.”

Susan Parker

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