PORTLAND — The Legislature’s Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee is expected to take up the nomination of economist Bruce Williamson to the Maine Public Utilities Commision on Thursday, but a late-session flurry of activity could interfere with those plans.

Republican Senate staff, Democratic House staff and the committee’s clerk said a vote is likely Thursday on the nomination Democrats tabled amid what they called a “crisis of confidence” in the PUC. The vote is expected to take place after House and Senate sessions conclude, according to Ann Kim, the House Democrats’ spokeswoman.

This late in the legislative session, committee schedules are in flux as the House and Senate churn through morning and afternoon floor sessions to catch up on a backlog of bills in hopes of wrapping up by the June 17 statutory adjournment deadline.

The committee voted 7-6 last week to table LePage’s nomination of Williamson, an economist at the University of Tennessee’s Institute for Nuclear Security. He would replace outgoing commissioner David Littell, who was appointed by former Gov. John Baldacci, a Democrat.

Gov. Paul LePage apologized to Williamson during a news conference Friday, in which he called Democrats “repugnant” and “disgraceful” for tabling the nomination.

Democrats said they tabled the vote, needing more time to carefully consider the nomination, but Republicans said the move was an effort to hold up the nomination as a bargaining chip as various energy-related bills are still in waiting, such as a bill from House Minority Leader Ken Fredette, R-Newport, which would create a new Cabinet-level Maine Energy Office to be led by LePage’s top energy adviser.

Fredette’s bill also would clarify a controversial PUC decision that set a cap on funding for the Efficiency Maine Trust, which lawmakers said was because of a clerical error.

A separate bill to add a missing ‘and’ back into the massive Omnibus Energy bill and thereby clarify the higher spending cap for the efficiency agency cleared the energy committee and initial floor votes in the House and Senate but faces a promised veto from LePage.

If confirmed, Williamson would serve a six-year term on the regulatory commission, which would consist entirely of LePage appointees. He would join Chairman Mark Vannoy and Carlisle McLean, whom LePage nominated earlier this year to complete a term vacated by departing Chairman Tom Welch, on the three-person panel.