Activists Demand Regulator Reject All New Energy Projects in Her Last Weeks on Job Because Planet Can't Wait

Protesters on Saturday descended on the Wellselly, Massachusetts home of federal regulator Cheryl LaFleur, demanding she reject new energy infrastructure projects. 

LaFleur is a member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which has the power to approve projects such as oil and gas pipelines that cross state lines. FERC can, of course, reject these projects as well.

Activists from the group Beyond Extreme Energy (BXE)  dropped banners reading “You can’t be neutral on a burning planet” and “Vote for the future you want for your grandchildren.” The group is demanding LaFleur reject every project that comes before the commission through the end of her term, which is up in August. 

Because FERC has only four of its five commissioners seated, LaFleur has recently been the swing vote on natural gas projects. The regulator will not return to the commission after August, leaving her replacement appointment in the hands of President Donald Trump, who has been hostile to solving the climate crisis and to environmental issues.