FERC Welcomes New Commissioners, Quorum Restored

On August 3, 2017, the U.S. Senate confirmed President Trump's nominations of Neil Chatterjee and Robert Powelson as Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Commissioners and restored FERC's quorum for the first time in nearly 180 days. The next step is for Mr. Chatterjee and Mr. Powelson to be sworn into their positions.

FERC has not had a quorum since February 3, 2017. In the interim, the Commission has accumulated a backlog of filings that will require formal Commission action, including

Applications under Section 4 of the Natural Gas Act (NGA) related to the rates and terms and conditions of service; Applications related to interstate natural gas pipeline infrastructure under Section 7 of the NGA; Applications related to the rates and terms and conditions of service for interstate oil and products pipelines under the Interstate Commerce Act; Applications related to rates, rules, or charges for the transmission or wholesale sale of electric energy under the Federal Power Act; Complaints challenging rates, rules, or charges for the transmission or wholesale sale of electric energy under the Federal Power Act; and Petitions for declaratory orders seeking clarification from the Commission. With FERC's quorum restored, it also can move forward with rulemaking proceedings, including notices of proposed rulemaking that were issued before February 2017, as well as formal investigations and enforcement actions that require Commission authorization. It is unclear at this point how FERC will process and prioritize this backlog and how long it will take before the Commission is able to process filings on more traditional timeframes.

FERC does not hold a formal Commission meeting in August, but the Commissioners can vote notationally and therefore could begin issuing orders in the near term.

Below is a brief biography of FERC's newest members.

Neil Chatterjee

Mr. Chatterjee most recently served as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)'s senior energy policy analyst. While in this position, Mr. Chatterjee advised Senator McConnell on energy and infrastructure initiatives, including President Obama's Clean Power Plan. Mr. Chatterjee worked previously as a Principal in Government Relations for the National Rural Cooperative Association and as an aide to House Republican Conference chairman Deborah Pryce (R-OH). Mr. Chatterjee grew up in Lexington, Kentucky near the heart of the coal industry. He earned his bachelor's degree from St...