Green America Joins Community, Health, Religious, Climate, Environmental, Student, Peace And Water Protection Groups In Calling Upon Senate To Reject Trump's FERC Nominees

A coalition of around 160 local, state, regional and national organizations (http://bit.ly/2qnShl6) is calling upon the Senate to reject both nominations announced yesterday by President Donald Trump to be Commissioners of FERC, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The coalition of organizations, including Green America, is opposing the nominations of Neil Chatterjee and Robert Powelson because both nominees would increase FERC’s bias towards the fossil fuel industry and further marginalize communities that oppose pipelines and other fossil fuel infrastructure that damage people’s homes, livelihoods and communities. The coalition is calling for Senate hearings on FERC’s abuses before any new commissioners are appointed.

“FERC already serves as a rubber stamp for the fossil fuel industry, approving all but one pipeline over the past thirty years,” says Green America Executive Co-Director for Consumer and Corporate Engagement Todd Larsen. “The Trump Administration is already demonstrating that it is willing to put the interests of the fossil fuel industry above the health and welfare of communities nationwide, and is willing to push science aside to promote fossil fuels at any costs. By nominating Neil Chatterjee and Robert Powelson to FERC, the administration is doubling down on a future of fossil fuels for the United States. Both nominations should be blocked.”

“What the United States needs are regulators that work to promote a clean energy future for the country, which will create jobs, increase US competitiveness, and provide all communities with clean air and water,” says Green America Executive Co-Director for Business, Investing and Policy Fran Teplitz. “We need hearings on FERC to expose the agency’s repeated siding with the fossil fuel industry and its refusal to properly weigh the science documenting the harms of fossil fuel infrastructure to communities nationwide. Those hearings should take place before any more commissioners are appointed.”

The FERC Vacancies Coalition has already organized two call-ins generating thousands of calls to Senate offices on this issue, as well as orchestrating Senate offices visits in which nearly a dozen groups met with Senate staff in district offices. A national lobby day in Washington, D.C. is planned for May 22-23, and other actions are in the works to protest the nominations.

About Green America
Green America is the nation's leading green economy organization. Founded in 1982, Green America (formerly Co-op America) provides economic strategies and practical tools for businesses and individuals to solve today's social and environmental problems. For more information, visit www.GreenAmerica.org.