In a party-line vote, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Thursday advanced the nominations of Laura Swett and David LaCerte to fill empty seats at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
In the 12-8 vote, Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, voted with the committee’s Republicans to advance the nominations. The panel’s Democrats opposed the nominations.
The full Senate must approve the nominations.
“Both nominees bring with them valuable experience that can serve the commission well,” Chairman Mike Lee, R-Utah, said. “Ms. Swett has spent years working directly with FERC, giving her an inside understanding of how the agency operates. Mr. LaCerte … has held leadership roles at both the federal and state levels, bringing the perspective of a combat veteran who has led under immense pressure.
“These are qualities that, if applied, can help return FERC to its proper focus, providing affordable and reliable energy for the American people,” Lee said.
Swett is an energy attorney at Vinson & Elkins and former FERC staffer. She worked in FERC’s enforcement office and as an advisor to former Commissioner Bernard McNamee and former Chairman Kevin McIntyre.
LaCerte is an official in the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Previously, he was acting managing director at the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board and a special counsel at the Baker Botts law firm for two years, starting in January 2023, working mainly on Clean Air Act-related litigation.
Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., the committee’s ranking member, said that normally he would have voted for Swett, given her experience.
“But these are not normal times,” Heinrich said. “This administration is issuing illegal stop work orders on fully permitted projects. They are creating a grid crisis. They are killing good union jobs, and they are raising electricity prices.”
Heinrich said LaCerte lacked statutorily required experience to be a FERC commissioner. “He has little or no experience with the complexities of our energy industries and markets or with the intricacies of our energy laws,” Heinrich said.
During a Sept. 4 confirmation hearing, Swett and LaCerte told senators that if confirmed, they would uphold the agency’s independence while remaining neutral toward generating technologies.
Next, the Senate will take up the nominations. It is unclear exactly when that will happen given the Senate’s busy schedule.
