The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission renewed its monthly meetings Wednesday, with commissioners applauding efforts that kept the agency moving through its workload during the unprecedented six-month lapse of a quorum and acknowledging the still-hefty backlog of draft orders awaiting their decisions.
“To say first part of this year until my friends arrived was an odd and unusual time at FERC would be an understatement,” said Commissioner Cheryl LaFleur, who steered FERC through the quorum lapse, directing staff to ready draft orders for consideration.
“I think Chairman [Neil] Chatterjee and his team are doing an excellent job mowing down the considerable backlog that we have,” she added. The new commissioners have faced hundreds of backlogged draft orders.
Chatterjee for his part told reporters after the meeting, “our primary focus is to work through the backlog and we continue to do that.”
FERC has approved 158 notional orders, which are those requiring votes, since its last meeting in January, he said. In addition, staff has issued 200 orders under the new delegation authority allowed by a special order since February. Some 68 of those were subject to further commission order, according to a staff presentation Wednesday that cataloged the work FERC has done during the quorum lapse.
Chatterjee indicated there may be a pause before major policy matters idling before the commission are decided.
“I think FERC speaks loudest when it speaks with one voice, and for some of the major issues before the commission, it would certainly be my preference that we tackle those when we do have full strength.”
S&P Global Platts – Washington – 09.20.2017
Posted by Nelson Bailey
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