Former Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm made a slew of questionable arguments in a Thursday New York Times op-ed asserting that one of President Joe Biden’s greatest gifts to China should be left intact.
Granholm, who previously held personal investments in a green company Biden promoted, argues in the piece that the Biden administration’s massive green industrial policy was on track to put America in competitive position against China, but she believes President Donald Trump’s pause on spending from Biden-era bills and overall approach to energy policy will stifle that progress to China’s benefit. However, many energy sector experts have argued that the Biden administration’s green agenda plays right into China’s hands by reorienting the U.S. economy around energy sources and technologies built with raw materials dominated by China, among other criticisms.
“Other governments are waiting with bated breath for us to pare back our grants, loans and tax credits so they can use the same tools to sweet-talk the next generation of factories to their shores,” Granholm wrote. “Consider electric vehicles: It’s no secret China wants to dominate the global market. Today, it accounts for more than half the world’s electric vehicle production. But over 450 electric vehicle battery companies have announced they are moving to America or expanding factories here since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act — many of them leaving China to do so. It would be a national embarrassment to cede this entire industry back.”
REPORTER: “Gas prices are now up…The President took credit for the prices going down…Does the President get credit for the price…going up?”
SEC. GRANHOLM: “It’s obviously based on international and climate events.” pic.twitter.com/MvDfFBMUX3
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) January 23, 2023
Absent from Granholm’s piece is any mention of the Biden administration’s electric vehicle (EV) mandate, fuel economy and tailpipe emissions regulations finalized in 2024 that would force U.S. auto manufacturers to significantly increase EV production by 2035. Moreover, U.S. consumer demand for EVs has not grown as quickly as some expected, automakers have lost billions on their EV product lines and some experts project that cheaper Chinese EVs threaten to wipe out American competitors in the absence of strong policy designed to prevent that outcome.
Moreover, green energy incentives within the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) — Biden’s signature climate bill — have actually attracted Chinese or China-linked companies to set up shop inside the American heartland, much to the chagrin of many locals in small towns in Michigan, Illinois and Ohio.
Notably, Granholm became the subject of an ethics scandal in 2021, when it was revealed that she maintained ownership of shares of Proterra — an electric bus manufacturer that subsequently declared bankruptcy — at the same time that the Department of Energy (DOE) was promoting EV manufacturing. Granholm eventually sold the shares and netted capital gains of $1.6 million on the transaction, with the DOE stating at the time that Granholm cleared her position within the timeline set in her ethics agreement.
Granholm then proceeded to warn that Trump’s plans to cut green energy subsidies and ramp up conventional energy production will undermine grid reliability and job growth.
“The United States’ electricity demand will grow 15 percent over the next decade because of new data centers, factories and transportation. If the Trump administration forces the loss of wind, solar and other clean energy jobs, we’ll lose access to the technologies that help make up our energy mix. Monthly utility bills will rise, and brownouts and blackouts will become regular experiences,” Granholm writes. “The administration is also deluding itself if it believes ‘drill, baby, drill’ will create a jobs boom. The United States is already the world’s largest oil producer and gas exporter. A combination of tepid oil prices and subdued market demand has left many industry leaders weary of making major investments to increase output.”
Energy Sec. Jennifer Granholm says that the current gasoline situation is a “supply crunch,” not a “gasoline shortage.” pic.twitter.com/KL6PX9FIqf
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) May 11, 2021
As before, Granholm again neglects to mention the aggressive power plant regulations promulgated by the Biden EPA in 2024.
Power grid operators and experts have repeatedly warned that the power plant regulations directly threaten grid reliability if implemented in full. Others have warned more broadly that extending reliance on intermittent renewable generation is a dangerous strategy given that reliable fossil fuel-fired capacity is being retired more quickly than it is being offset.
Additionally, Trump’s initial blitz of energy policymaking demonstrates clearly to the private sector that they will be dealing with a pro-growth, pro-innovation administration after four years of inconsistent policy from a Biden administration that often seemed inclined to appease environmental activists, Frank Maisano, a senior principal at Bracewell LLP, previously told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The Biden administration also accused oil companies of deliberately ripping off Americans when gas prices spiked in 2021 and 2022, but the industry countered that the administration’s inconsistent energy policy was a key factor behind the supposedly inadequate investment criticized by Biden officials at the time.
“Securing the next generation of U.S. manufacturing jobs will require strong government and private-sector partnerships and continued investment in domestic clean energy production,” Granholm concluded. “When we flipped off the lights in our offices on Monday, we left the next occupants a plan for success — already in motion. It will be up to them to decide if they want to make the most of it.”
Granholm will likely be replaced by Trump’s pick for energy secretary, Chris Wright.
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