White House may wait months to fill GOP vacancy -- sources

摘要

The White House may wait months to fill a vacant Republican seat on the powerful Federal Energy Regulatory Commission -- and then use that nomination as a bargaining chip when the time comes, according to sources. The Obama administration has yet to tap a replacement for Philip Moeller, a member of the agency who stepped down at the end of last month to pursue opportunities in the private sector. Moeller, whose term expired June 30, was with the agency nine years. The outspoken commissioner warned about effects of new environmental rules on the electric grid and the closure of coal plants. More recently, Moeller said FERC will have to tackle the issue of distributed generation in coming years (EnergyWire, Oct. 30).