Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios
A second Trump administration is likely to target programs and staff at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that are seen as benefiting renewable energy developers and promoting environmental justice.
Why it matters: FERC's at the center of the intensifying debate over the nation's energy mix as demand grows for power.
- The five-member commission oversees regional electricity markets and power grid reliability along with interstate natural gas pipelines and LNG terminals.
The big picture: The incoming administration is expected to name a new chair, choosing from Republicans Mark Christie or Lindsay See.
- Christie, a former state regulator and fierce critic of FERC's transmission rule finalized this year, would likely seek to give states more say in regional grid planning.
- See, a newcomer to the commission, successfully argued the West Virginia v. EPA Supreme Court case that curtailed federal agency actions involving "major questions" without clear congressional direction.
Zoom in: The new chair will face conservative calls to address reliability concerns and root out climate issues.
- That could shape the implementation of major rules on transmission planning and permitting as well as a backlog of renewable energy and batteries awaiting connection to the grid.
- The FERC section of Project 2025 argues that "pressure to use 100 percent renewables or non–carbon emitting resources threatens the electric grid's reliability." It calls for an emphasis on natural gas, nuclear and coal.
- Trump could also roll back an environmental justice counsel and the Office of Public Participation created under a Democratic chair to lower barriers for community groups to access and understand proceedings.
- He could target FERC's policy of expanded outreach to tribes, which led to a rejection of several hydropower licenses this year that didn't have tribal support.
Between the lines: FERC staff could be also targeted if Trump renews his push to reclassify federal employees as Schedule F, which eliminates some civil servant job protections.
- "There's a lot of fear about what could happen," said a senior FERC official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
- In Trump's first administration, the Republican-led commission circulated a list of Schedule F employees — more than half the commission, according to a GAO report.
State of play: Neil Chatterjee — a former Republican FERC chair before he was demoted by Trump in 2020 — claimed in a tweet to have advised the Trump transition team on "who to keep and who to remove."
- Chatterjee later walked that back, denying to Axios that he had a list of people to remove.
- "It was like, 'Hey, these are the offices, this is what they do, here's where you don't want to remove people, because it's actually in your interest to keep people there,'" Chatterjee told Daniel.
- "But to the extent you want to make changes, here are the offices where you could probably make some moves about upsetting the apple cart."
What they're saying: "Among a lot of my FERC friends, there is fury at Neil Chatterjee right now," Rep. Sean Casten told Axios.
- Casten wants a well-staffed FERC to open up electricity markets and chip away at the power of electric utilities.
- He hopes FERC will address the "fundamental conflict in the heart of the regulated utility model, which is that you do not make money by lowering costs for your consumers."
Flashback: FERC became embroiled in controversy during Trump's first term when DOE Secretary Rick Perry ordered the commission to prop up coal and nuclear plants to bolster grid reliability.
- The commission rejected that directive after bipartisan backlash from former commissioners, grid operators and free-market supporters.
