January 28, 2020 3:20 a.m.
On Monday, Oregon U.S. Senator Ron Wyden called for the appointment of a full, bipartisan Federal Energy Regulatory Commission before the independent regulatory agency rules on the proposed Jordan Cove Energy Project in Oregon.
A release from Wyden said he has serious concerns about the two current vacancies on the commission.
In a letter to President Donald Trump, Wyden said with only three of five commissioners in place, the longstanding tradition of a bipartisan commission could be jeopardized as it considers the merits of complex projects.
Wyden said he has long demanded that “Oregonians receive a fair, open, fact-based, and non-political process while FERC determines whether LNG projects are necessary and are in the public’s best interest”. Wyden said “vacancies and political pressure on the Commission hinders its ability to fulfill the role of an independent regulatory agency”. He said that the public benefit of all proposals must be determined in a thoughtful, bipartisan way. He said “to do so, pairing any Republican nominee with a Democratic nominee is critical”.
Wyden said without a full and bipartisan commission, any decision on Jordan Cove would be interpreted as lacking a full, fair consideration and “therefore inherently political”.