Nopr

Senate Democrats took aim at FERC nominee Bernard McNamee over his involvement in crafting a controversial Department of Energy (DOE) proposal to subsidize coal and nuclear power, but the energy sector attorney pledged to serve as an “independent arbiter” of grid resiliency and reliability issues that come before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Rick Perry said the Trump administration does not currently have an estimate over how much a controversial proposal to extend a lifeline to struggling coal and nuclear power producers would ultimately cost.

In an unprecedented move, and a surprise for the oil and natural gas industry, the Trump administration is reportedly planning to order the nation’s grid operators to purchase electricity or power generation capacity from struggling coal and nuclear plants, citing national security.

FERC Chairman Kevin McIntyre provided some insight Thursday into the Commission’s approach to an ongoing examination of the resilience and reliability of the nation’s power grid.

FERC reasserted its independence and kept to a fuel-neutral path when it voted unanimously last week to reject a controversial notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) by the Department of Energy (DOE) to change the nation’s grid reliability and resilience policies, according to Commissioners Neil Chatterjee and Cheryl LaFleur.

Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Rick Perry has granted FERC Chairman Kevin McIntyre’s request for a one-month extension to study DOE’s controversial notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR), despite the “urgency” of the proposal.

Hours after being sworn in as FERC chair on Thursday, Kevin McIntyre sent a letter to Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Rick Perry, asking for another month to study the controversial notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR), which faces a Monday deadline.

FERC’s Acting Chairman Neil Chatterjee declined on Thursday to discuss the Department of Energy’s (DOE) controversial notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) with representatives of the natural gas industry, or an interim proposal he is reportedly considering.

More than a dozen members of Congress have signaled their opposition to implementing the Department of Energy’s (DOE) proposed rulemaking to reform the reliability and resiliency of the electricity grid in the final days for reply comments, which FERC was scheduled to close Tuesday.