Today, Jennifer Granholm was confirmed as the Secretary of Energy. In her post, she will have oversight of certain APGA member activities, predominantly APGA’s work on minimum appliance efficiency standards. Granholm, who was previously the governor of Michigan, strongly supported a clean energy transition during her hearing last month, but also noted that fossil fuels, including natural gas, need to be part of the mix to help achieve our country’s climate goals. In response to her confirmation, APGA released a statement that can be found
here.
Also happening recently is that Debra Haaland, a Democratic U.S. Representative from New Mexico, testified before the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee, for her nomination to lead the Department of the Interior. “There’s no question that fossil energy does and will continue to play a major role in America for years to come,” Haaland said, caveating that a balance would need to be struck in the management of fossil fuel development on federal lands to help address climate challenges. Additionally, Michael Regan, who was nominated to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, is still awaiting a full Senate vote for confirmation.
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.