Talk about #girlpower!". In the May issue of Kentucky Living, Chatterjee detailed FERC action on energy issues and shared how he traveled with Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell to Kentucky communities affected by the closing of coal mines and power plants. “They brought us down over Thanksgiving break to visit Lexington under the premise that we were going to go to a UK basketball game,” Chatterjee says.

On Thursday, Chatterjee spokesman Cano, in response to a question posed by email to Chatterjee, said that "to her knowledge, Ms. Mellon has not been a party to any legal action against Trustify. And in recent months, Chatterjee named Michael Smith as a Schedule C policy adviser. Because fellow Buffalo native Christian Laettner had been his tennis coach, Chatterjee was a Duke University basketball fan. Our stories. So earlier this year, Chatterjee offered Mellon a Schedule C political appointment in his small office that has a staff of six. People get jobs in D.C. all the time based upon who they know. In the 2016 Plum Book, it listed two Schedule C positions each with Chairman Norman Bay and Commissioner Tony Clark, and one each for Commissioners Colette Honorable and Cheryl LaFleur.

It generally has been true in Washington that to get a plum job, it depends on who you know. “I think I jumped on Allen Edwards’ back at some point to try to get closer to the net. Inside the Beltway, it is known as the Plum Book. Speaking at the Kentucky Governor’s Conference on Energy and the Environment in Lexington earlier this year, Chatterjee saw the faces of fellow Kentuckians and friends. “But where you’re from impacts how you view the world and how you navigate these difficult policy issues, and I think my roots in the Bluegrass certainly color the way that I approach things here. He then became an energy policy advisor to McConnell, who he says has meant “everything” to his career. He had worked in the Senate Republican cloakroom (Energywire, March 18). Asked what sort of background check was performed before Mellon was offered the job, Cano said it was "the same as for any other Schedule C employee.". FERC Chairman Neil Chatterjee said the order "will allow us to build a smarter, ... Ohio with his wife and two daughters. “Kentuckians are familiar with working in the energy business and a lot of these entrepreneurs in the energy space want to come to Kentucky and do business in Kentucky. "A lot of [commissioners] would bring folks from within the agency who knew how the traps were run. He and General Counsel James Danly were hired as so-called noncareer Senior Executive Service employees, a higher pay grade than Schedule C but still political appointees. Your inbox. Among the questions on Standard Form 85P are two concerning financial records going back seven years, including "Are you now over 180 days delinquent on any loan or financial obligation?". Actions Regarding the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, Frequently Asked Questions: Spillway Inspections, Prohibition of Energy Market Manipulation, Designation of Incoming Dam Safety Documents, Office of Administrative Law Judges (OALJ), Office of Administrative Litigation (OAL), Office of Energy Infrastructure Security (OEIS), Office of Energy Market Regulation (OEMR), Office of Energy Policy and Innovation (OEPI), Information for Jobseekers with Disabilities, Standards for Descriptions of Documents Submitted to FERC, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) eLibrary. My wife Rebecca and I send prayers for comfort to his wife, Jenny, and three children, Lizzie, Tommy and Annie at this immensely difficult time. Actress Ditipriya Roy, Alivia Sarkar, Debopriyo Mukherjee, Gourab Chatterjee, Neil Chatterjee and many other actors have wished him on his birthday. During his tenure at the Commission, Kevin exhibited strong leadership and an unmatched knowledge of energy policy and the rule of law. The commissioner has the discretion to hire whoever they want," said a former FERC Schedule C hire. Twenty-five years later, Neil and Rebecca are married with three children, and Chatterjee is now in the driver’s seat of U.S. energy policy as chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The 2012 Plum Book listed just four Schedule C employees among the five commissioners at FERC.

Jobs such as Mellon's are cataloged every four years right after a presidential election in a book titled "United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions.". Chatterjee picks wife's friend for political job ... the new confidential assistant to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Neil Chatterjee. The decision to approve a Schedule C employee is made by the director of the Office of Personnel Management at the request of the agency on a case-by-case basis. Chatterjee’s desire to help people is in his DNA. The essential news for energy & environment professionals, © 1996-2020 Environment & Energy Publishing, LLC   Mellon's position is one of roughly 1,400 Schedule C jobs across the federal government that enable higher-level political appointees such as Chatterjee to quickly select individuals and bypass the rigorous, competitive and time-consuming route those seeking career civil service jobs must follow. "There is no doubt in my mind that she was 100% a partner," the source said. He has served as chairman twice: He served four months in 2017, and was again named chairman on October 24, 2018. “People don’t have alternative forms of employment. “His approach to leadership, to policymaking, to governing, he’s just been incredible. Many people who get Schedule C jobs earn them through work on the winning presidential campaign or experience in politics or causes important to the new administration.

", But a career civil servant and hiring manager at another federal agency that deals with energy issues said, "It doesn't get any swampier than that.".

Among the Kentucky mementos on his bookshelves is an electric co-op paperweight from Rebecca’s late grandfather. Photo credit: Mellon/Google+. Commissioner Richard Glick Dissent regarding PJM Interconnection, L.L.C. Twenty-five years later, Neil and Rebecca are married with three children, and Chatterjee is now in the driver’s seat of U.S. energy policy as chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Boice has complained about the FBI contact in his Twitter feed. Today is a deeply sad day for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and for all those who had the pleasure of knowing Kevin McIntyre both personally and professionally. And that’s what Grandpa Sowders taught me.”, Copyright © 2019. (Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg) Appointed by Trump last month, Neil Chatterjee is … The National Background Investigations Bureau said in September 2018 that the backlog in personnel background investigations is approximately 661,600. That’s really, really difficult for me to swallow,” Chatterjee says. And if you had told me back then that someday I would be working in this capacity, I don’t think I would have believed you.”. What I have learned from him I could write volumes,” Chatterjee says. During his tenure at the Commission, Kevin exhibited strong leadership and an unmatched knowledge of energy policy and the rule of law. “I ran out on the court,” Chatterjee laughs.

His parents, Sunil and Malaya Chatterjee, are noted cancer researchers who moved to Kentucky from Buffalo, New York, to work at the University of Kentucky’s Markey Cancer Center. The questionnaire is usually completed after the political appointee starts work, according to several people who formerly held political jobs at FERC. His unwavering strength was – and will continue to be – an inspiration to us all. What is an electric cooperative?’ And he explained it to me. “My roots in the Bluegrass run deep.”. But their homes lose value because people aren’t willing to move to an area without hope for economic prosperity. Chatterjee declined a request for an interview and would only answer questions about Mellon through the agency's external affairs office. Site Map   But Mellon is at least the sixth person in a political job around Chatterjee. But a source close to Trustify said Mellon "was the public face of the company, out there in front of the clients" such as Goldman Sachs. And the confirmation of the information on the questionnaire by a human being via interview can take years, said several former FERC Schedule C employees. After a social media spat with actor and activist James Cromwell, FERC Chairman Neil Chatterjee is facing criticism for his reactions on his personal Facebook page that have been altered. In the face of adversity, Kevin’s dedicated faith, devotion to family and sharp wit never faltered. His girlfriend’s grandfather, Robert “Bob” Sowders, would drive Neil and Rebecca across Kentucky’s backroads, territory Sowders served during his 41 years with the Kentucky Association of Electric Cooperatives. Nominated to FERC by President Donald J. Trump, Chatterjee was confirmed by the Senate in 2017.

It is unclear whether Chatterjee will hire another political person as chief of staff or take the route of his predecessors and pick someone with experience within the agency. I would say that the electric grid is probably mankind’s greatest invention.

The last time he had been on that hotel ballroom stage he was giving a toast at his wedding reception. Mellon is different in that she has no discernible background in Republican politics, nor did she back President Trump publicly. Reach Dan at dan.gearino@insideclimatenews.org. Three of the lawsuits assert that Trustify has not paid its employees, landlord or public relations firm. Lindsee Gentry, who worked with Chatterjee in the office of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), was hired as a Schedule C in the chairman's office.