[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 12844]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             BAY NOMINATION

  Mr. SCOTT. Mr. President, I wish to voice my concern over the 
nomination of Mr. Norman Bay to be a Commissioner on the Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission--and eventually Chairman of the entire FERC.
  I have serious concerns with Mr. Bay's qualifications to serve as a 
Commissioner, let alone lead the entire agency, particularly at such a 
critical time for the Commission and the many issues it must address 
such as energy grid infrastructure, safety and reliability.
  Mr. Bay has at best limited experience in the energy sector and, 
unlike many of the recent FERC Chairmen, has never served on the 
Commission. Mr. Bay's inexperience is only further illuminated when 
compared to the lengthy and significant energy sector experience of 
current FERC Acting Chairman, Ms. Cheryl LaFleur.
  While I may not agree with Ms. LaFleur's various policy positions, 
there is no denying the fact that she has spent nearly her entire 
career learning the intricacies of a very complicated electricity grid.
  We must have the very best people on FERC, and the Chair must be the 
best qualified for leading the agency. Mismanagement in this critical 
agency could have serious consequences for American families, small 
businesses, national security and energy infrastructure reliability. I 
do not believe in on-the-job training for such an important position. 
It appears there has been an undefined deal--some would say a backroom 
deal--struck with the administration to give Mr. Bay a FERC 
apprenticeship, while the qualified Ms. LeFleur is forced out of her 
current role as FERC Chairman.
  Certainly, the Obama administration knows enough regulators to have 
nominated one that would be ready to serve once confirmed. This 
presents the question: if he is not ready to serve, why was Mr. Bay 
nominated in the first place?
  I am afraid that President Obama and his Senate cohorts want to use 
Mr. Bay and the FERC to carry out their radical energy agenda that uses 
the government to pick winners and losers in the energy marketplace, 
which will only cause prices to increase on those who can least afford 
more expensive energy.
  I also think serious questions have yet to be answered by Mr. Bay 
about his time as FERC's Enforcement Director. His answers to questions 
by various members of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee were 
vague at best and evasive at worst.
  Some suggested that actions taken by Mr. Bay as Enforcement Director 
have had a chilling effect on wholesale electric markets and have 
already caused electricity prices to increase in certain parts of the 
country.
  There is simply too much at stake for me to support a nominee we know 
so little about and who knows so little about the job for which he was 
nominated.

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