The letter was directed to Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Lisa Murkowski and the Committee's senior Democratic member Sen. Maria Cantwell in advance of the Committees scheduled May 25 hearing on the nominations of Neil Chatterjee and Robert Powelson. If approved by the Committee and confirmed by the Senate, the two appointees would restore to FERC the quorum of no less than three Commissioners required to approve pipeline and other major energy infrastructure projects.

"Since early February, the absence of quorum at FERC has put in jeopardy many major energy-delivery infrastructure projects needed to lower energy costs to consumers and to supply clean-burning natural gas to electric generating plants," said Toby Mack, President and CEO of the Energy Equipment & Infrastructure Alliance.

"At stake in these delays are not only lower-cost supplies of natural gas to consumers and industrial customers, but also the necessary transmission capacity to supply the transition to clean-burning natural gas power generation, as well as the capacity necessary for integration of wind and solar power into the grid. Equally concerning is the loss of tens of thousands of supply chain jobs attributable to project delays caused by absence of a quorum at FERC. These are Main Street American jobs that support families and communities across our country."

Mack added that "the real victims & are construction laborers, equipment operators and maintenance technicians, welders, pipefitters, truck drivers, and supporting professional, administrative, factory and warehouse workers, to name a few.