At FERC’s monthly meeting held on January 23, 2020, Commissioner Bernard L. McNamee announced he will not seek reappointment as commissioner after his current term ends on June 30, 2020. Commissioner McNamee indicated that he will serve through the end of his term or later, if needed to help maintain a quorum at FERC in 2020.
Commissioner McNamee was appointed to FERC in October 2018 by President Donald J. Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on December 6, 2018 to complete former Chairman Kevin McIntyre’s term. Prior to joining FERC, Commissioner McNamee served in various legal and policy roles at the state and federal levels, including the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Senate, the Virginia Attorneys General Office, the Virginia Governor’s office, and the Texas Attorneys General Office. Commissioner McNamee also served as a partner and senior counsel with a law firm in Richmond, Virginia, where he primarily represented electric and natural gas utilities before state public utility commissions. Commissioner McNamee received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and his juris doctorate from Emory University School of Law.
Currently, there are only three commissioners at FERC. Commissioner McNamee’s willingness to continue to serve beyond the end of his term allows FERC to maintain the three-Commissioner quorum required for the Commission to vote out items. FERC Commissioners may serve beyond the expiration of their term or until a successor has been confirmed. Under such circumstances Commissioners cannot serve beyond the end of the Congressional session in which their term expires. Congress is currently in its 116th Session, which will end on January 3, 2021. The last time FERC did not have a quorum was in 2017.
Commissioner McNamee noted that though his time at FERC has been one of the most “rewarding jobs” he has ever had, he is stepping away from the Commission for personal reasons—namely to spend more time with his family, who reside in Richmond, Virginia.
Click here to read Commissioner McNamee’s Statement.