Picked by President Obama to head a unique office managing the federal end of an Alaska natural gas pipeline project, Larry Persily is scheduled to go before a U.S. Senate committee on Tuesday for confirmation.

The Senate's Energy and Natural Resources Committee is chaired by Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-New Mexico. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, is the ranking Republican. Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, isn't on the committee but is expected to attend.

The hearing was originally set for 10 a.m., but has been rescheduled for 2:30 p.m., East Coast time. Also on the agenda is a confirmation hearing for Patricia Hoffman, a Department of Energy nominee.

Persily was tapped for the position in December after former federal coordinator Drue Pearce resigned at Obama's request. The position is a political appointment; Pearce, the first person to fill the role created by federal legislation, is a Republican appointed by Pres. George W. Bush.

Persily said he's been asked to prepare a brief introductory statement and be prepared for committee questions on his qualifications and on the Alaska gas pipeline projects at play. Following the hearing, the committee could consider the nomination at its next scheduled meeting, Feb. 10. If approved, the nomination moves to the Senate floor. Noncontroversial appointments, such as this is expected to be, are often included in a consent agenda and not brought up separately.

He could be on the job in Washington, D.C., by the end of February. That will leave a hole in the state Capitol, where Persily works as staff to Rep. Mike Hawker, R-Anchorage, and had a hand in crafting major legislation introduced this month, the Cook Inlet Recovery Act, to address natural gas shortages in the state's most heavily populated area.

Here's a link to a story we ran in December announcing his appointment.