"The Senate confirmed President Trump’s pick for a key energy agency Thursday over Democrats' objections that he is too biased for the job.

The 50-49 vote along party lines means Bernard McNamee, a Republican and former high-ranking political official at the Energy Department under Trump, can take his spot on the five-person Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

GOP Sen. Thom Tillis (N.C.) was absent from the floor vote.

McNamee’s history in the Trump administration and working for the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation have raised significant objections from Democrats that he can’t live up to the expectation that FERC commissioners should be independent and neutral when it comes to energy fuel sources."

Timothy Cama reports for The Hill December 6, 2018. [2]