Winning Manchin’s Support ‘Beyond My Control,’ FERC Chair Says

The top US energy regulator said Thursday that Sen. Joe Manchin’s decision to stall his renomination was driven by “factors beyond my control.”

The West Virginia Democrat said last week he was “not comfortable holding a hearing” for Richard Glick, chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Trade associations have expressed concern that the five-member commission would deadlock on key issues, including electric transmission planning and natural gas approvals, if Glick were to leave the commission at the end of the year.

“I’d just have to say that I think they’re factors—as I said earlier, there are things I can control, and things I can’t control—it’s factors beyond my control,” Glick said.

• Glick told reporters after the commission’s monthly meeting that Manchin called him to deliver the news last week, but hasn’t spoken with him since then.
• Manchin, chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, pulled Glick from a widely expected congressional hearing days after the senator lashed out at President Joe Biden’s comments on closing coal plants and investing in renewable energy.
• Asked if Manchin told him why he was pulling support, Glick said: “The answer is yes, he did, but I’d prefer not to share.”