Originally published for customers June 8, 2022.
What’s the issue?
On May 24, President Biden formally nominated Chairman Glick for reappointment to a five-year term on the Commission.
Why does it matter?
Chairman Glick has been leading the charge to adjust FERC’s policies regarding natural gas pipelines to, purportedly, make them more legally defensible. The gas industry is skeptical of his motives and along with many members of the Senate suspect that the actual goal is to limit further pipeline development in an effort to battle climate change by limiting the ability of gas producers to get their gas to market.
What’s our view?
Senate Republicans are most likely to vote as a block against Chairman Glick’s nomination, so his future likely rests with Senator Manchin who controls both the timing and tie-breaking vote on Chairman Glick’s renomination. In the meantime, in addition to reconsidering its pipeline policy, Chairman Glick will need to render a decision by the end of October about the Mountain Valley Pipeline project that could imperil the future of that project. If he is confirmed by the Senate before these two critical decisions are made, he will have no incentive to act in a manner consistent with Senator’s Manchin’s views. So both he and Senator Manchin may be in a staredown between now and the fall as each seeks to maintain maximum leverage.
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