Lankford, Manchin to consider possible new FERC member

Two more energy nominees from President Biden go before Oklahoma U.S. Sen. James Lankford and others on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee this week.

Lankford and the others on the committee led by Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin will hearing from Willie L. Phillips, Jr. who was nominated to sit on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and from Brad J. Crabtree, nominated to be an Assistant Secretary of Energy (Fossil Energy and Carbon Management).

A third nominee will be questioned—Charles F. Sams III to be Director of the National Park Service.

The hearing will be held Tuesday at 9 a.m. Oklahoma time.

As for Phillips, if he is confirmed, he will become the fifth member of the FERC, swinging total control to Democrats. He has been a D.C. Public Service Commissioner since 2014 and chaired the regulatory body for the past 3 years.

His nomination is meant to replace Republican Neil Chatterjee, who left the commission at the end of August.