BOSTON — Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey is the latest to join a group of state attorneys general who are calling on the U.S. Senate to deny Bernard McNamee's confirmation to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
According to Healey's office and the attorneys generals of Oregon, Illinois, Maryland and New York, McNamee has made several public statements in favor of fossil fuels over renewable energy, and they argue that he has no state regulatory experience to bring to the position. The attorneys general highlight one of McNamee's comments where he stated that fossil fuels and renewables are a "constant battle between liberty and tyranny."
“Bernard McNamee’s plans to subsidize uneconomic coal plants and his open hostility toward clean energy production make him the wrong choice for the job,” Healey said in a statement. “We urge the Senate to use its authority to demand a nominee who will fairly and impartially address important matters before the commission.”
In their letter, the attorneys general also point to McNamee's "record promoting the retention of uneconomic highly polluting electric generation facilities," which impede states from adopting clean energy policies.