WASHINGTON -- Despite efforts to get the federal nomination of Arkansan Colette Honorable approved by the end of the year, too few senators attended a meeting to vote on it Wednesday morning.
President Barack Obama nominated Honorable to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in September. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has discussed her appointment, but couldn't forward it Wednesday to the full Senate because there wasn't a quorum -- a majority of the 22-member committee.
Committee Chairman Mary Landrieu, D-La., told the attending members she would try to schedule another time to vote, but did not specify when.
Senators are rushing to complete their work this week before heading home for the holidays. Nominees not confirmed before the Senate adjourns have to start the process over with the new Congress in January.
U.S. Sens. Mark Pryor and John Boozman both support Honorable's nomination.
Boozman said the clock is running.
"Right now its a matter of the time period that we are faced with," Boozman said. "We're running into a time crunch, but we're doing all we can to move her through."
Honorable, 44, was first appointed to the Arkansas Public Service Commission in 2007, becoming its chairman in 2011. She is also past president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission regulates transmission of electricity, natural gas and oil. It also reviews proposals to build liquefied natural gas terminals and interstate natural-gas pipelines as well as licenses hydropower projects.
If confirmed, Honorable would replace John Norris, who resigned to take a position with the U.S. Agriculture Department. Honorable's term would expire June 30, 2017.
Landrieu urged members to support Honorable, calling her a "really outstanding nominee."
"She is highly regarded by her peers, she's well respected by the industry and consumer groups, and I'm very favorably impressed by her experience and knowledge," she said.
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican expected to be committee chairman in the new Congress, said it is occasionally hard to agree on a nominee, "but, I think this is a situation where this is not a hard issue for any of us," she said.
If Honorable's nomination isn't approved by the Senate by the end of the year, "I would certainly hope the president would renominate her and we could be able to move her through quickly," Murkowski said. "I'm hopeful that what appears to be a unanimous recommendation from this committee will be good enough to convince those folks in the White House that they have indeed found a very good, very well qualified nominee to serve on this very important committee."
A section on 12/11/2014