Despite Telling Congress Otherwise, Richard Glick Had Regular Meetings with Biden’s Climate Czar

June 14, 2022

Yesterday morning, the Wall Street Journal editorial board broke big news about Richard Glick, Biden’s nominee to be chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). In February, Glick tried to spearhead a policy that would make building new natural gas pipelines next to impossible. When the Senate held a hearing on the policy, Glick was adamant that he did not consult with the Biden administration about slowing down infrastructure approvals. But it turns out that he was meeting with White House climate officials for months. 

The Journal editorial board writes: 

“The Institute for Energy Research obtained Mr. Glick’s meeting calendar from Nov. 8, 2020, through this past April 19 via a Freedom of Information Act request. Not surprisingly, it includes many meetings with utilities, energy providers and FERC staff. But starting last September, he began holding biweekly meetings with Deputy White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi.

“This is notable because Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy asked Mr. Glick point-blank at a hearing on March 3: ‘Has anyone higher up in the Administration ever spoken to you in regards to somehow slow-walking or otherwise impeding or otherwise accentuating policy that would have the effect of impeding the development of natural gas pipelines? Mr. Glick replied, ‘Absolutely not.’”

FERC is supposed to be an independent agency. Glick should not be taking his marching orders from the West Wing, but the policy he tried to ram through in February was right in line with Biden’s climate goals. 

The exact nature of Glick’s meetings with Zaidi is unclear but as the Journal editorial board put it: “it’s hard to believe the two never talked about pipelines.” If Glick is confirmed by the Senate, it is very likely he will try to advance his punishing climate policy priorities again. The Senate shouldn’t let that happen.