Share
BE SMART ABOUT: Bernard McNamee, Trump's Awful Pick To Join The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
BE SMART ABOUT is an important series highlighting examples of those in power (or in danger of acquiring power) who you need to stay informed about so you can share this knowledge and together we can Be Smart and Actively Dissent.
Today we discuss Bernard McNamee, a CLIMATE CHANGE DENIER, confirmed by the Senate 50-49 last Thursday to fill a vacant seat on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Trump’s pick to join the nation’s top energy regulator has a significant political agenda.
McNamee, an Energy Department official who played a role in Energy Secretary’s Rick Perry’s ill-fated plan to bail out coal and nuclear plants, is set to join the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the agency that oversees U.S. electricity markets.
The vote comes after a recently surfaced video showed McNamee championing the continued use of fossil fuels and criticizing renewable energy and environmental groups.... a 10 month-old video emerged of McNamee.... calling carbon dioxide "not a real pollutant" and railing against renewable energy....
McNamee is an ally of White House and Republican efforts to prop up economically struggling coal plants.
McNamee would be the most overtly political person to serve on FERC in decades.... He has previously been with the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation and worked as aide to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, among other gigs.
The party-line split is unusual for FERC nominees. The last two commissioners appointed to the five-member panel -- Republican Kevin McIntyre and Democrat Rich Glick -- were approved unanimously.
Environmental groups such as the Sierra Club expressed their disappointment.... “The video remarks of McNamee disparaging environmental groups is unprofessional, and will render him a compromised commissioner should he be ultimately confirmed,” said Tyson Slocum, director of the energy program at the watchdog group Public Citizen.
Sources: