Democrats in Congress, led by Rep. Sean Casten of Illinois, are working to draw attention to the importance of a vacancy on what Casten has described as the “single most impactful agency in the government, as far as dealing with the climate crisis.”  The jurisdiction of FERC — the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission — over energy markets, pipelines, and LNG terminals, among a plethora of other issues, make the replacement of outgoing commissioner, and former chair, Neil Chatterjee crucial to the realization of many of President Biden’s climate and environmental justice goals.

Casten launched the campaign in a floor speech earlier this week. “To paraphrase Miss Stallion … now that FERC has put in all that work, it’s time for them to be the MVP,” he said. “Now some might say that FERC isn’t, dare I say, ‘hot enough’ to warrant that attention. But for those of us who are serious about fighting the climate crisis, they sure should be.” (Utility Dive, Grist)