James Danly, general counsel of FERC.

The White House has nominated James Danly, now general counsel of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, to be the group's next commissioner, which would give it a 3 to 2 Republican majority.

A 2013 graduate of Vanderbilt Law School, Danly was named general counsel in September 2017, despite his relatively brief experience both as a lawyer and in the energy field. Danly, who declined to comment Tuesday, would serve the remainder of a five-year term that ends in 2023.

He previously served as an associate in the Washington, D.C., office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, as a member of the energy regulation and litigation group. Prior to this, Danly served as law clerk to Judge Danny Boggs at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

As the commission's general counsel, Danly brought with him two veteran lawyers from Skadden. One was counsel John Shepherd, with 18 years at the law firm, who became his director of legal policy. The other was partner Matthew Estes, a 30-year Skadden veteran, to serve as his legal adviser.

The law firm Tuesday referred questions to John Estes, head of its energy regulation and litigation group, but he was out of the office and did not return emails seeking comment.

In speeches, Danly has embraced the concept of the commission taking a narrow reading of statutes that grant its authority, leaving more decisions up to the electric and gas pipeline industries it regulates. He most recently delivered the keynote address at Skadden's annual energy conference April 30.

Skadden and John Estes have pushed a commission agenda favoring deregulation, which coincides with Danly's philosophy.

Danly is also expected to support commission chairman Neil Chatterjee's desire to approve more pipeline projects that have been stalled by the group's 2 to 2 split.

Upon Danly's appointment as general counsel, Chatterjee said in a statement that he strengthened an "already excellent" office. "He has served our country with honor and distinction, and I look forward to his counsel and guidance at the commission."

Before law school, Danly served as an officer in the U.S. Army, including two deployments to Iraq, receiving a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.

He later served as a managing director of the Institute for the Study of War, a military think tank in Washington, D.C., and as an international affairs fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

In 2009 he wrote an op-ed column for The New York Times about the patience and resources needed to help build an adequate Afghan army, based on his experiences in Iraq.