Jennifer Granholm was confirmed as Secretary of Energy, putting the former Michigan Governor at the head of agency that will play a key role in implementing President Joe Biden’s ambitious climate agenda.
DOE oversees the USA s nuclear warhead arsenal, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and billions of research dollars.
(Bloomberg) Jennifer Granholm was confirmed as Secretary of Energy, putting the former Michigan Governor at the head of agency that will play a key role in implementing President Joe Biden’s ambitious climate agenda.
The Senate voted 64-35 to confirm Granholm to run the sprawling agency, which has an annual budget of $35 billion and national research laboratories spread across 17 states. The department has a wide-ranging mission, including helping to build the nation’s arsenal of nuclear warheads, safe-guarding its emergency supply of oil, and spending billions researching energy technologies.
The Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Democrat Senator Bob Menendez, at the US Capitol building in Washington DC, earlier this month. With Republican Senator John Barrasso, he introduced a resolution acknowledging Greece’s 200 years of independence and the strong relationship between the US and Greece in history. Photo: Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA
9 February 2021 3:15pm
Democrats and Republican senators in a rare display of non-partisanship introduced a resolution to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Greek Independence that will be celebrated on March 25.
The resolution also celebrated Greek and US commitment to democracy as well as the long partnership and friendship between the two nations.
January 27, 2021
Senate lawmakers on the Energy Committee heard from former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, the nominee for Secretary of Energy. Granholm, in her opening statement, said the US has an opportunity to lead the world in developing and cultivating alternative energy sources and practices, which she says would create more jobs.
“We can allow other countries to corner the market on carbon reduction technologies, like carbon capture utilization and storage, or we can put our workers in good-paying jobs, manufacturing and installing those solutions in America,” said Granholm.
In his opening statement, Republican Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming says he hopes that Granholm, if confirmed, will also accept fossil fuels as energy sources, so that jobs aren’t immediately lost in those sectors. The former governor was introduced by Senator Debbie Stabenow and Congressman Fred Upton,
A $35 billion investment in clean power and other climate initiatives hitched a ride on the latest COVID-19 relief package. Backed by Senate Republicans as well as Democrats, the legislation will be the first significant climate change law in more than a decade if it gets past President Trump’s desk this week. “This agreement protects both American consumers and American businesses,” said Republican Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming, as reported by The New York Times . “We can have clean air without damaging our economy.” Related: Biden promises US-led climate summit in 2021 One of the most important parts of this new legislation is a requirement for manufacturers to phase out coolants called hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). While HFCs are a small percentage of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, they have a disproportionate effect. HFCs have 1,000 times the ability to trap heat compared to carbon dioxide. In 2016, 197 nations agreed that HFCs had to go. They signed what’s ca