FERC Vacancy Good for the Environment: Powelson Leaves Commission

Robert Powelson has announced his retirement from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Before serving on the Commission, Powelson was on the Public Utility Commission of Pennsylvania since 2008 and was its chairman from 2011 to 2015. He also served as president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. He also previously led the Chester County, Pa., Chamber of Business and Industry. He has a very pro-pipeline history with obvious bias towards the gas industry.

“Robert Powelson retiring from FERC is a victory for the environment and clean energy. From the beginning he has clear contempt for the public, including smearing anti-pipeline activists. Powelson was a member of the Greater Philadelphia Energy Action Team, whose goal is to lobby and promote pipelines and expand the energy industry including refiners. He was a member of this Team lobbying for pipelines and fossil fuels, he was still serving on the PUC. Powelson left FERC because he didn’t support Trump’s efforts to subsidize coal and nuclear power. Even he couldn’t support these irresponsible policies,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.

Powelson was appointed to the Commission, along with Neil Chatterjee, in May of 2017 by Donald Trump and confirmed the next August. The Administration appointed these two Republicans to the Board to give them a right-leaning bias. With Powelson’s retirement, there are not two members from each party on the board.

“We’re hoping that Powelson leaving FERC will result in a stalemate when it comes to the Commission approving unnecessary fossil fuel projects. This is good because the more we can delay approvals the better chance we can stop these destructive projects. If FERC regains a Republican bias, they will once again have the power to approve dangerous pipelines and projects such as final approval for PennEast and the Northeast Expansion Supply Enhancement Project. The more we can delay future Trump nominations to fill Powelson’s spot, the longer it will take for FERC to take action on all of the unnecessary and destructive projects,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.