Lafleur

FERC has canceled its Feb. 16 agenda meeting and suspended subsequent monthly meetings as the agency awaits appointment of enough commissioners to achieve a quorum.

Cheryl LaFleur, Acting Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and her two fellow commissioners on the ostensibly five-member commission are “very focused on the next week and trying to get as much work done [as possible] while we have a quorum,” she said during a podcast released Monday.

President Trump has named Cheryl LaFleur acting chairman of FERC, and Norman Bay has resigned his appointment to the agency, according to a pair of statements released within hours of each other Thursday. Bay’s resignation, to take effect Feb. 3, will leave the agency with only two commissioners, not enough to achieve a quorum.

Lawmakers in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday gave overwhelming support for Acting Chairman Cheryl LaFleur to serve as a FERC commissioner. Norman Bay squeaked by and could take over either now or later as chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, despite fierce opposition from Republicans.

Acting FERC Chairman Cheryl LaFleur seems likely to have a smooth path to a second term as a commissioner, but it may be a rockier road for Norman Bay, who was President Obama nomination for the Chairman’s seat, based on a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in Washington, DC, Tuesday.

President Obama will nominate Cheryl LaFleur, who is currently acting chair at FERC, to a follow-up term on the Commission, the White House said Thursday.

A notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) issued by FERC last week that would, among other things, start the gas day at 4 a.m. central clock time (CCT) instead of the current 9 a.m. has quickly become a 'lightning rod," but changes to the current system are inevitable, and the earlier start time isn't non-negotiable, according to Acting Chairman Cheryl LaFleur.

Addressing concerns surrounding this month’s natural gas and electricity price spikes brought on by record cold, FERC Acting Chairman Cheryl LaFleur told journalists Monday it is a sign that the markets are working.

President Obama has tapped FERC Commissioner Cheryl LaFleur to be acting chair of the agency, taking over Monday from Chairman Jon Wellinghoff, who will leave the Commission after seven years of service.