Dive Summary:
- A heated clash is expected as Ron Binz, President Obama's choice for chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), is set to stand for a confirmation hearing before the the U.S. Senate Energy Committee on Tuesday.
- Coal advocates have grown hostile toward Binz, who they say will help the Obama administration fight fossil fuels without Congressional approval. “FERC is the last piece of the puzzle,” Benjamin Cole, spokesman for the American Energy Alliance, warns.
- The opposition to Binz's nomination points to his argument for "risk-aware energy regulation," which promotes renewable energy even if it costs more than fossil fuels, and his comment that natural gas is a "dead end."
- James J. Hoecker, former chairman of FERC, said he's "never seen anything quite like [the public confrontation taking place]. It's an extraordinary show that’s being put on right now.”
From the article:
