As the U.S. enters the next era of energy, the head of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said its top priority is "keeping the lights on."
The U.S. energy sector is in "a really exciting time," Chairman Neil Chatterjee told Cheddar Monday. His agency is charged with overseeing the power grid.
"The U.S. became a net exporter of energy for the first time in 60 years in 2017," Chatterjee said, which has had positive economic benefits for job creation, job growth, according to the chairman. He also said it has helped in international relations because the U.S. has become a major player in the industry that was previously dominated by Russia.
Plus, there is a potential, positive environmental impact.
"U.S. clean [liquified natural gas (LNG)] distorting more carbon-intense sources of fuel in other parts of the world will lead to lower carbon emissions and impact carbon mitigation," he claimed.
Not everyone agrees LNG is good for the environment, as production can increase the release of methane gas. The tonnage of methane emissions is currently smaller than that of carbon dioxide but can be harmful in the short-term. LNG is used in heating, electricity, or other industrial uses.
Chatterjee's agency is reviewing new applications to build LNG terminals in the U.S.
He also noted that while the U.S. has been using tech to excel in the energy sector, it has also opened up the country to greater security threats. "[Our adversaries] are constantly evolving, and we have to evolve to stay one step ahead of them," said Chatterjee.
Within U.S. borders, FERC is charged with overseeing interstate transmission of natural gas, electricity, and oil.
"We at the commission work with stakeholders across the country to ensure that we're incentivizing the right investments so that the grid of the future can be there, a flexible, reliable grid," said Chatterjee.
While the FERC deals with federal energy issues, Chatterjee notes that he is "a firm believer in states' rights," and that the agency has been forced to act when a state enacts energy regulations that have effects beyond its borders, distorting energy markets.
Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama says his new Cabinet will include an artificial intelligence “minister” in charge of fighting corruption. The AI, named Diella, will oversee public funding projects and combat corruption in public tenders. Diella was launched earlier this year as a virtual assistant on the government's public service platform. Corruption has been a persistent issue in Albania since 1990. Rama's Socialist Party won a fourth consecutive term in May. It aims to deliver EU membership for Albania in five years, but the opposition Democratic Party remains skeptical.
The Trump administration has asked an appeals court to remove Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve’s board of governors by Monday, before the central bank’s next vote on interest rates. Trump sought to fire Cook Aug. 25, but a federal judge ruled late Tuesday that the removal was illegal and reinstated her to the Fed’s board.
President Donald Trump's administration is appealing a ruling blocking him from immediately firing Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook as he seeks more control over the traditionally independent board. The notice of appeal was filed Wednesday, hours after U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb handed down the ruling. The White House insists the Republican president had the right to fire Cook over mortgage fraud allegations involving properties in Michigan and Georgia from before she joined the Fed. Cook's lawsuit denies the allegations and says the firing was unlawful. The case could soon reach the Supreme Court, which has allowed Trump to fire members of other independent agencies but suggested that power has limitations at the Fed.
Chief Justice John Roberts has let President Donald Trump remove a member of the Federal Trade Commission, the latest in a string of high-profile firings allowed for now by the Supreme Court.
President Donald Trump has fired one of two Democratic members of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to break a 2-2 tie ahead of the board considering the largest railroad merger ever proposed.
The Rev. Al Sharpton is set to lead a protest march on Wall Street to urge corporate America to resist the Trump administration’s campaign to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The New York civil rights leader will join clergy, labor and community leaders Thursday in a demonstration through Manhattan’s Financial District that’s timed with the anniversary of the Civil Rights-era March on Washington in 1963. Sharpton called DEI the “civil rights fight of our generation." He and other Black leaders have called for boycotting American retailers that scaled backed policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity and reducing discrimination in their ranks.
