Both the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) are each down to three commissioners entering the final quarter of 2016.
Both bodies carry up to five members at full strength. Time will tell if any NRC or FERC vacancies get filled before the next presidential administration.
With the departure of Commissioner Tony Clark, FERC is down to three commissioners — Chairman Norman Bay, and Commissioners Cheryl LaFleur and Colette Honorable.
Clark attended his last FERC meeting on Sept. 22 and his last day at FERC was scheduled Sept. 30.
The Republican Clark on Aug. 4 said on Twitter that the commission’s September meeting will be his last meeting. He noted that since June 30, he had “been serving in an expired term, as allowed by law, and had previously announced he wouldn’t request reappointment.
FERC is composed of up to five commissioners who are appointed by the president of the United States with the advice and consent of the Senate. Commissioners serve five-year terms, and have an equal vote on regulatory matters.
Likewise, the NRC is headed by five Commissioners appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate for five-year terms. One of them is designated by the president to be the chairman and official spokesperson of the commission.
NRC’s three members include Chairman Stephen G. Burns, Commissioner Kristine L. Svinicki and Commissioner Jeff Baran.
President Barack Obama in July 2015 nominated Alabama native Jessie Hill Roberson, who currently serves on the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, to serve as an NRC commissioner. Her nomination is evidently still pending.
In the first quarter of this year, NRC Commissioner William Ostendorff, a Republican, announced that he did not plan to seek another term on NRC. His term expired at the end of June.
