On October 3, 3018, President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Bernard L. McNamee to fill the vacant seat on FERC, for the term expiring June 30, 2020, resulting from Commissioner Robert Powelson’s resignation. If nominated, confirmed, and sworn in, Mr. McNamee would restore the Republican majority among FERC Commissioners.
Mr. McNamee currently serves as the Executive Director of the Office of Policy at the U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”), where he previously served as Deputy General Counsel for Energy Policy. Mr. McNamee was involved in DOE’s proposed Grid Resiliency Rule that would have provided cost recovery for eligible coal plants that have a 90-day fuel supply on-site. Prior to his tenure at DOE, Mr. McNamee practiced law with McGuireWoods LLP, served as a policy advisor to U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, and served as Chief Deputy Attorney General for the state of Virginia.
A copy of the White House’s announcement may be found here.