Biden Picks Energy Sec Nominee

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden has picked Jennifer Granholm as his energy secretary nominee.

Granholm, who served as Michigan’s 47^th governor for two terms and was the first woman to lead the state, was previously elected to serve as the Attorney General of Michigan. The energy secretary nominee envisions clean energy investments and deployments that create millions of good union jobs and support a stronger, more inclusive middle class, according to the incoming administration’s website.

Granholm is the founder of the American Jobs Project, which is described as a multi-state, multi-university initiative promoting technological advancements and clean energy policies to spur U.S. job creation. She has also helped drive clean energy policy nationwide as an advisor to the Pew Charitable Trusts’ Clean Energy Program and as a professor at the University of California’s Goldman School of Public Policy.

“I’m honored that President-elect Joe Biden has placed his faith in me as his Energy Secretary nominee,” Granholm said in a statement posted on her Twitter page.

“We have an opportunity to build back better while creating millions of jobs — we can do it,” Granholm added.

Following Biden’s energy secretary nominee pick, American Petroleum Institute (API) President and CEO Mike Sommers noted that the group stands ready to work with the President-elect’s nominees “to tackle the challenge of climate change by building on America’s progress in delivering affordable and reliable energy while reducing greenhouse gas emissions to generational lows”.

“Energy impacts every American and is not a partisan issue – it’s what modern life depends on,” Sommers added. “In the year ahead, we will continue to advocate for policies that promote technological innovation, advance modern energy infrastructure and support access to natural gas and oil resources—both on federal and private lands—which will be critical to rebuilding our economy and maintaining America’s status as a global energy leader,” Sommers continued.

“We will also be watching closely to ensure that the incoming administration keeps President-elect Biden’s campaign promises to the energy workforce and protects the millions of jobs supported by our industry in states like New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania and across the country,” Sommers went on to say.

The API, which has more than 600 members, represents all segments of America’s oil and natural gas industry, according to its website.

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