Senate Rules Committee confirms Nancy Skinner to California Energy Commission after questioning on refineries, batteries and EV infrastructure

The California State Senate Rules Committee confirmed Nancy Skinner to the California Energy Commission on May 14 after a hearing that focused on oil refining capacity, battery storage safety and electric-vehicle infrastructure.

Skinner, the governor's appointee, told the committee she views her role on the commission as implementing legislative and budget directives while aiming to "meet California's energy needs affordably and sustainably." She outlined responsibilities she will carry on the commission, including support for zero-emission vehicles, building and industrial decarbonization, efficiency work and the commission's work with ports.

The hearing included extended questioning from Senator Grove, who pressed Skinner on the effects of state policy on oil production in her district and on a December 2022 remark in which Skinner said, "it is absolutely the case that the oil companies are price gouging California." Grove asked whether California producers could influence global crude prices and whether a bill Skinner co-authored, ABX2-1, had given the commission useful authority over refinery inventories.

Skinner responded that ABX2-1 was permissive and meant to provide tools for the commission and the Department of Petroleum Market Oversight (DPMO). She said the commission has not used those tools and that the underlying work of the earlier statute was to collect data and analyze it so analysts could recommend whether action was appropriate. "So far, the Commission has not acted on any of the tools given and is still in the data collection and analysis process," Skinner said.

Lawmakers also brought up refinery notices and warnings about potential closures and whether reduced in-state refining capacity could raise fuel costs. Skinner said the governor has convened a multi-agency task force to study refinery and fuel supply issues and that the commission's vice chair handles oversight of the DPMO and related data analysis.

Committee members asked about grid reliability and recent planning decisions. Skinner described the commission as primarily a planning agency that projects electricity needs and noted that since the state created the Strategic Reliability Reserve and extended Diablo Canyon the state has withstood high-demand days without outages. She pointed to rapid growth in battery energy storage and combined solar-plus-storage projects such as the Darden project, which the commission will consider under the AB205 opt‑in permitting process.

On battery safety, Skinner said the Moss Landing fire involved facilities permitted under local rules before statewide battery safety standards were in place. She told the committee the Public Utilities Commission has adopted upgraded safety standards and that the Energy Commission had incorporated those standards into its review processes. "Every state battery project, there has been no fire whatsoever," Skinner said when describing projects the commission has permitted, authorized, or funded.

Members also pressed Skinner about federal EV infrastructure funding. She said National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) funds were frozen by the federal administration at the time, halting planned solicitations; the state has sued to unfreeze some funds, she said. She also cited the Clean Transportation Program (CTP) as a stable state funding source the commission administers.

The committee moved to a confirmation vote after public testimony in support from a wide range of industry and clean-energy organizations and a single public speaker in opposition. The roll call recorded Maguire: aye; Grove: aye; Gonzales: aye; Jones: no; Laird: aye. The motion passed and the committee sent the nomination to the full Senate for floor consideration.

Skinner, a former legislator who noted she first served on a local energy commission in Berkeley and cited mentors such as the late Art Rosenfeld, said she intends to make commission materials more accessible to nonexperts and to implement legislative and budget directions the commission receives.

She closed by emphasizing efficiency, forecasting and deploying programs to reduce energy demand growth as a strategy to lower costs systemwide while the state transitions to greater electrification and zero-emission vehicles.

The nomination moves next to the Senate floor for consideration; the committee minutes record the motion as passed and the nomination advanced to that next step.