Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, today released the following statement on Senate confirmation of Norman C. Bay and Cheryl A. LaFleur as members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC):

"Today’s confirmation of Norman Bay and Cheryl LaFleur means that FERC will finally have all five commissioners in place, allowing the agency to better fulfill its critical mission.

“As Californians learned during the Western energy crisis in 2000 and 2001, it is necessary to have strong oversight and meaningful regulation over energy markets. Norman Bay understands this, and I am pleased to see that someone with his experience as previous head of the FERC market oversight unit will be elevated to chairman.

“Cheryl LaFleur has served as a commissioner and acting chairman of FERC with distinction. I look forward to continuing to work with her.

“I also applaud the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources for reaching an agreement to move forward on filling these key positions. While the process was at times difficult, today marks a positive step toward effective regulation of the energy market.”

###