James Danly, who served on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission during Donald Trump’s first administration, is the Republican president-elect’s pick to be deputy secretary of energy the second time around, various news outlets reported over the weekend.
A military veteran, Danly currently heads the energy regulatory branch of the Skadden Arps law firm and briefly chaired the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in late 2020 and early 2021. He also served as general counsel at FERC, according to his online law firm bio. Danly has been an adjunct professor at the Vanderbilt University law school in Tennessee.
Before attending law school, Danly was in the U.S. Army, serving two tours of duty in Iraq, according to his Vanderbilt biography. The deputy secretary position does require Senate confirmation.
Fox News, the New York Post and other news outlets reported on the Danly selection over the weekend. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee is already scheduled to hold a confirmation hearing Wednesday at 10 a.m. for Trump’s energy secretary nominee, Chirs Wright.
The ranking Democrat on the committee, Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.). said Friday he recently had “productive conversations” with both Wright and ex-North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R), Trump’s selection to be secretary of interior.