America’s younger generations have a big responsibility. Sooner than we may think, they’ll be running our country and setting policy for decades to come.
That’s why I’ve been so passionate about getting young people like me engaged in the democratic process, especially here in a fast-growing and diversifying state like Georgia. One of the most significant challenges facing the next generation is how to effectively combat climate change and produce clean, renewable energy. The magnitude of these issues require the leaders of today to be on the same page as the leaders of tomorrow, and that’s why I’m impressed with President Biden’s recent appointment of Willie Phillips as Acting Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
FERC is responsible for overseeing the nation’s electric and natural gas industries, including regulating the interstate transmission of electricity, natural gas, and oil. Acting Chairman Phillips is a historic figure as the first African American person to ever lead the agency. He has a broad coalition of support, which includes the Congressional Black Caucus, the Black Economic Alliance, the Joint Center for Political and Economic studies, and the American Association of Blacks in Energy.
Phillips has made reliability, environmental justice, and equity pillars of his role as acting Chairman, making him the ideal choice to guide our country forward on energy issues for the future generation of leaders. To best carry out the goals of the commission, as well as assist with the Biden Administration’s clean energy and climate change goals, President Biden needs to take steps to remove the acting designation and formally nominate Mr. Phillips to the role of permanent chairman.
Phillips has a wealth of experience with which to draw from and a clear agenda for his time in office. He garnered bipartisan support in the Senate during his nomination to the commission in 2021 and it’s evident from his…
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