WASHINGTON, August 9, 2017 - The inaugural American Wind Week, a celebration of U.S. leadership in wind power, officially began Aug. 7 and runs through August 12. The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) designated American Wind Week recognizing wind power is now the largest source of U.S. renewable energy capacity and supports over 100,000 U.S. jobs across all 50 states.
The U.S. Senate voted to confirm two new regulators to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission last week, on Thursday evening, restoring quorum to an agency that has been unable to make major policy decisions in six months. Robert Powelson, a Pennsylvania utility commissioner, and Neil Chatterjee, an aide to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), were confirmed by unanimous consent. Both Republicans, they will join Acting Chairman Cheryl LaFleur at FERC. Powelson, a former Pennsylvania regulator, has not been sworn in yet.
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has set Sept. 7 to vote on two of President Donald Trump’s other nominees for vacant spots at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Democratic Senate staffer Richard Glick and Jones Day lawyer Kevin McIntyre.
Dan Brouillette officially joins the Department of Energy as deputy secretary. Brouillette most recently served as vice president of the United Services Automobile Association for more than a decade and before that was vice president of Ford Motor Co. Before his transition into the private sector, Brouillette was Chief of Staff to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce, which has broad jurisdictional and oversight authority over five Cabinet-level Federal agencies. He also served as Assistant Secretary of Energy for Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs from 2001 to 2003. In addition, he is a former state energy regulator, having served as a member of the Louisiana State Mineral and Energy Board from 2013 to 2016.
Jamie Nolan is stepping down as the communications director for the U.S. Department of Energy's SunShot Initiative to open up her own communications consultancy, Nolan Strategic Communications, focused on energy, climate and transportation, among other issues.
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