On January 27, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a hearing to consider the nomination of Jennifer Granholm as the Secretary for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). If confirmed, Granholm would be responsible for overseeing America’s energy security and prosperity, which includes the agency’s work pertaining to its appliance efficiency program and liquified natural gas (LNG) exports.
Throughout the hearing, Granholm reiterated her strong commitment to bolstering energy-related jobs, including prioritizing investments in states that have lost—or are anticipated to lose—traditional energy jobs so as to “leave no worker behind.” While her message was focused on creating clean energy jobs, Granholm also noted that, if the U.S. is going reach its goal of “net carbon zero emissions by 2050, we cannot do it without coal, oil, gas being part of the mix,” caveating that these fuels must be paired with investments in technology such as carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS).
Granholm was previously the Governor of Michigan, known for working with the auto industry through the 2008 recession and pushing for energy diversification within the state. The next step in the process is for the committee to take a vote on the nomination, which has yet to be scheduled but is anticipated to be in the next few weeks.
A recording of the hearing, as well as the written testimony from Governor Granholm, is available
here. APGA staff will continue to keep members aware of any updates on this and other pending agency nominations.
For questions on this article, please contact Renée Lani of APGA staff by phone at 202-464-0836 or by email at
rlani@apga.org.