Collective sigh of relief from environmentalists after Biden’s energy secretary pick

As Michigan’s governor, Jennifer Granholm pushed for an auto industry bailout following the 2008 financial crisis, and she has advocated for America to develop zero-emission vehicles

Louise Boyle
Senior Climate Correspondent in New York
Wednesday 16 December 2020 20:59 GMT
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A number of climate and environmental groups have praised president-elect Joe Biden’s pick for Secretary of Energy while expressing a cautious note of relief after another candidate reportedly under consideration drew criticism for his ties to the fossil-fuel industry.  

According to multiple reports, Mr Biden is poised to nominate former two-term Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm for the role. If confirmed Ms Granholm, who also served as Michigan’s attorney general, would be only the second woman to hold the position. 

The energy role will be instrumental in achieving the Biden administration’s promise of hitting net-zero emissions in the US by 2050, and making the country’s electricity production carbon-free by 2035.

The Biden transition team did not respond to a request for comment from The Independent.

Mr Biden has called for a sweeping $2trillion investment in a nationwide mobilization to reduce emissions, build and retrofit infrastructure, create new jobs and advance social justice.  

As word of Ms Granholm’s nomination filtered out, climate and environmental organisations lauded the pick.

Collin Rees, senior campaigner at advocacy group Oil Change US, said in a statement: “Jennifer Granholm is an experienced leader with a strong record of support for renewable energy and opposition to the disastrous Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines. 

"She understands the urgency of the climate crisis and the need to confront the fossil fuel industry, previously stating, ‘We ought to be doing everything we possibly can to keep fossil fuel energy in the ground and develop renewables.’ 

Natalie Mebane, associate director of policy at climate group 350.org, said that “Granholm has a long history supporting a just transition to a renewable energy economy”. 

“She supported clean energy initiatives in her two terms as Governor and strived to diversify Michigan's economy, including urging the production of more electric vehicles, while moving away from fossil fuels toward solar and wind,” the statement noted. 

Last month dozens of climate, progressive, and environmental justice groups rallied around an effort to keep Ernest Moniz, secretary of energy in the Obama administration, out of Mr Biden’s cabinet.

A letter, signed by more than 150 organizations, urged the president-elect not to appoint Dr Moniz due to his reported ties to the fossil fuel and nuclear industries. 

“Ernest Moniz’s ties to the fossil fuel industry spell danger for the nation’s efforts to mitigate the climate crisis,” said Greenpeace USA’s Janet Redman, noting his “current board position at Southern Company, one of the most polluting oil and gas utilities in the US".  

Dr Moniz, also a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, did not respond to an email seeking comment from The Independent.

Like many of the cabinet picks, Ms Granholm goes back a long way with Mr Biden. The former governor worked with him on the 2009 bailout of automobile manufacturers General Motors Co and Chrysler when he was vice president under  former president Obama. 

She has advocated for US development of zero-emission vehicles in recent years, arguing to pull the industry ahead of its international competitors.

She currently teaches law and public policy at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law and is on the board of Proterra, a California-based electric bus manufacturer. 

In 2015 Ms Granholm launched the American Jobs Project, to focus on promoting state policies to create middle-class jobs in batteries and other forms of advanced energy technology.

 A bulk of the Energy Department’s budget, more than $27billion, is focused on maintaining the nation’s nuclear program, but it oversees more than a dozen labs tasked with developing renewable energy production. 

The department also plays a role in developing standards for building emissions and appliances, areas that the Biden administration will also target in its emissions battle.  

President Trump’s two energy secretaries spent much of their time on oil and gas politics. Rick Perry, his first, was a former governor of Texas. Trump’s second, Dan Brouillette, was a former lobbyist for Ford Motor Co and a state energy regulator in Louisiana. 

Ms Granholm would be the second female US energy secretary after Hazel O’Leary served under former president Bill Clinton in the 1990s.

Reuters contributed to this report

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