Ten years after her second term as Governor of Michigan ended, Jennifer Granholm is back in a national role as Secretary of Energy.
The Senate voted 64-35 to confirm Granholm, with all 48 Democrats, both Independents, and 14 Republicans giving her the nod to help President Biden transition the U.S. toward clean energy and carbon neutrality by 2050.
Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) said that Granholm was uniquely qualified for the position. As governor in Michigan from 2003-2011 she served at a difficult time for the Michigan economy, exacerbated by the auto industry’s financial difficulties and the Great Recession.
During the recession and Obama’s efforts to improve the economy — many of which were led by Biden as Obama’s vice president — Granholm pushed to diversify Michigan’s economy by encouraging clean energy initiatives and investment in electric vehicles, solar and wind technologies.
At her nomination hearing, Granholm said while she believes the U.S. must fight to reduce greenhouse gases, fossil fuels including coal, oil and gas, will have a role in the nation’s energy portfolio for the foreseeable future.
You might remember Jennifer Granholm as President Obama’s #1 fan at the 2012 Democratic National Convention.
Secretary of Energy, indeed.
Source info at The Hill, the Detroit Free Press