"Newly appointed Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman James Danly (R) has canceled the agency's monthly media briefings and will not take interviews with the press, according to an announcement yesterday that drew criticism from advocates for government transparency.
The staunch conservative views his role "as that of an adjudicator; therefore he will not be conducting briefings or any meetings with the news media," according to an email from a FERC spokesperson.
Tyson Slocum, energy program director at watchdog group Public Citizen, called the move "inappropriate" and said the FERC chairman acts not only as an adjudicator but also as a regulator who is accountable to the public.
"A regulator working in the dark away from the questions posed by a free press is not a regulator operating in the public interest," Slocum said."
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