The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is the United States federal agency that regulates the transmission and wholesale sale of electricity and natural gas in interstate commerce and regulates the transportation of oil by pipeline in interstate commerce. FERC also reviews proposals to build interstate natural gas pipelines,natural gas storage projects,and liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals,in addition to licensing non-federal hydropower projects.
Joseph Manchin III is an American politician and businessman serving as the senior United States senator from West Virginia,a seat he has held since 2010. A moderate member of the Democratic Party,Manchin was the 34th governor of West Virginia from 2005 to 2010 and the 27th secretary of state of West Virginia from 2001 to 2005. He became the state's senior U.S. senator when Jay Rockefeller retired in 2015 and has been West Virginia's only congressional Democrat since. Before entering politics,Manchin helped found and was the president of Enersystems,a coal brokerage company his family owns and operates.
The Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act is a United States Act passed as part of the National Energy Act. It was meant to promote energy conservation and promote greater use of domestic energy and renewable energy. The law was created in response to the 1973 energy crisis,and one year in advance of a second energy crisis.
The Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 (PUHCA),also known as the Wheeler-Rayburn Act,was a US federal law giving the Securities and Exchange Commission authority to regulate,license,and break up electric utility holding companies. It limited holding company operations to a single state,thus subjecting them to effective state regulation. It also broke up any holding companies with more than two tiers,forcing divestitures so that each became a single integrated system serving a limited geographic area. Another purpose of the PUHCA was to keep utility holding companies engaged in regulated businesses from also engaging in unregulated businesses. The act was based on the conclusions and recommendations of the 1928-35 Federal Trade Commission investigation of the electric industry. On March 12,1935,President Franklin D. Roosevelt released a report he commissioned by the National Power Policy Committee. This report became the template for the PUHCA. The political battle over its passage was one of the bitterest of the New Deal,and was followed by eleven years of legal appeals by holding companies led by the Electric Bond and Share Company,which finally completed its breakup in 1961.
Norman C. Bay is an American attorney. He is the former United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico. Bay was the first Chinese-American United States Attorney. Bay is the former chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. He is currently a partner at the law firm of Willkie Farr &Gallagher.
Jon B. Wellinghoff is an American attorney who served as the chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) from 2009 to 2013. The FERC is a U.S. government agency that regulates the interstate transmission of electricity,natural gas,and oil. The FERC also reviews proposals to build liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals and interstate natural gas pipelines and licenses hydropower projects.
The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) is the national association representing the state public service commissioners who regulate essential utility services,including energy,telecommunications,and water. NARUC members are responsible for assuring reliable utility service at fair,just,and reasonable rates. Founded in 1889,the Association is a resource for its members and the regulatory community,providing a venue to set and influence public policy,share best practices,and foster solutions to improve regulation.
Joseph Timothy Kelliher is an American energy executive and former chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
The Natural Gas Act of 1938 was the first occurrence of the United States federal government regulating the natural gas industry. It was focused on regulating the rates charged by interstate natural gas transmission companies. In the years prior to the passage of the Act,concern arose about the monopolistic tendencies of the transmission companies and the fact that they were charging higher than competitive prices. The passage of the Act gave the Federal Power Commission (FPC) control over the regulation of interstate natural gas sales. Later on,the FPC was dissolved and became the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) pursuant to a different act. FERC continues to regulate the natural gas industry to this day.
Nora Mead Brownell is the co-founder of Espy Energy Solutions,LLC,an energy consulting firm and a former Commissioner of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) from 2001–2006 under the administration of President George W. Bush. She is also the former President of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC).
The Natural Gas Pipeline Permitting Reform Act is a bill that would place a 12-month deadline on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to approve or reject any proposal for a natural gas pipeline. It was first introduced into the United States House of Representatives during the 113th United States Congress,and passed the House. It was again introduced during the 114th United States CongressH.R. 161 in January 2015 by Rep. Mike Pompeo,passed the House on January 21.
Van Ness Feldman is a law and government relations firm specializing in energy,environment and natural resources law with offices in Washington D.C.,Seattle,the San Francisco Bay Area,Houston and Baton Rouge.
Nord Stream 2 is a 1,234-kilometre-long (767 mi) natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany running through the Baltic Sea,financed by Gazprom and several European energy companies. The construction of the pipeline started in 2011,to expand the Nord Stream 1 line and double annual capacity to 110 billion cubic metres. It was completed in September 2021,but has not yet entered service. Planning and construction of the pipeline were mired in political controversy over fears that Russia would use it for geopolitical advantage with Europe and Ukraine.
Indranil "Neil" Chatterjee is an American lawyer,political advisor,and government official who was a member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. He was Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission from August 10,2017 to December 7,2017,and again from October 24,2018 until he was removed from the position by President Donald Trump on November 5,2020.
Robert F. Powelson is an American nonprofit executive and former government official who currently serves as president and CEO of the National Association of Water Companies. He was a member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission from 2017 until 2018. Powelson previously served as a commissioner on the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission from 2008 until 2017,and he is a past president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners.
Cheryl LaFleur is an American attorney,executive,and government official who served as one of the 5 Commissioners of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) from 2010 to 2019. During her tenure as a Commissioner,she served as Chairman or Acting Chairman November 25,2013 - April 14,2015 and again January 23,2017 - August 10,2017. In September 2019,she was elected to the Board of Directors of ISO New England,beginning October 1,2019.
The Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) is an under-construction natural gas pipeline in the United States from northwestern West Virginia to southern Virginia. The MVP is 304 miles (489 km),and there is also a proposed Southgate Extension to the pipeline which runs 75 miles from Virginia into North Carolina. The completed pipeline would have a capacity of 2 million dekatherms (Dts) of natural gas per day,with a large quantity of that gas being produced from the Marcellus and Utica shale formations.
Bernard L. McNamee is a government official who served as Commissioner of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission from 2018 to 2020. McNamee was confirmed by the United States Senate as a member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on December 6,2018. He previously served in various state and federal legal and policy positions and practiced energy law in the private sector.
Maria Duaime Robinson is an American politician who served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives for the 6th Middlesex district from 2019 to 2022. In September 2021,she was nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as assistant secretary of energy for electricity delivery and energy reliability,but the White House withdrew her nomination on June 8,2022.
James Danly is an American attorney serving as a member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. He was nominated by President Donald Trump in 2019 and took office on March 31,2020. He formerly served as the agency's general counsel. On November 5,2020,he was named chairman of FERC. After serving for only 77 days,Danly was demoted on January 21,2021,when President Biden named Richard Glick Chairman.
