President Donald Trump has named Cheryl LaFleur the acting chairman of FERC, returning the commissioner to a leadership position she has held previously.
LaFleur joined the commission in 2010, serving as acting chairman from November 2013 to July 2014, and as chairman from July 2014 until April 2015 when she was succeeded by Norman Bay.
"It is an honor to again be asked to serve as acting chairman of the [FERC], and I thank President Trump for the opportunity," LaFleur said in a Jan. 26 statement, thanking Bay for his work since succeeding her as chairman in 2015. "While I recognize that FERC is in a state of transition as we await nominations to fill vacant seats at the agency, it is important that FERC’s work on the nation’s energy markets and infrastructure move forward."
When serving as chairman previously, LaFleur indicated her intent to improve capacity markets, coordinate the natural gas and electric power industries and keep the agency independent of political influence. She will now take over a commission with just three of five members, with two new appointments expected to be made by Trump.