Biden’s Green Radicals: Jennifer Granholm, Secretary of Energy Nominee

January 27, 2021

Meet former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, President Biden’s Secretary of Energy. Not surprisingly, Granholm has spent much of her professional career advocating for climate policies that align with Biden’s radical energy platform.

Political Career

Granholm was elected governor of Michigan in 2002 and re-elected in 2006. During her time as governor, Michigan was a financially struggling state best known for being home to the Big Three automakers. Granholm’s response to these financial struggles was to make renewable energy “a key focus of our economic development strategy.” This strategy did not prove to be fruitful, and, naturally, she resorted to historic tax hikes.

Poor Record on Jobs

Under Granholm’s leadership, Michigan lost more than half a million jobs. The Biden Administration that she will be joining has already cost thousands of American jobs by the President’s Day One Executive Order to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline. How many more American workers in the energy sector will lose their jobs after Granholm assumes control of the Department of Energy?

Crushing Tax Hikes

In 2009, reflecting on Granholm’s economic strategy, The Wall Street Journal wrote, “Here’s some free budget-balancing advice: Steer clear of the Michigan model.” In 2007, Granholm signed the biggest tax increase in Michigan history. The personal income tax was raised to 4.2% from 3.95% and the business tax was raised by 22 percent. As a result, Michigan led the country in unemployment and for every family that had moved to Michigan since 2007, two sold their homes and left.

Extreme Energy Policy

While she was enacting huge tax increases, then-Governor Granholm made a clean energy push and signed legislation requiring 10% of Michigan’s energy to come from renewable sources by 2015. She also set a statewide goal of slashing electricity generation from fossil fuels by 40% by 2020, and signed an executive order requiring developers of proposed coal-fired power plants in the state to determine if such projects were the most prudent alternative. Not only did this order not become a reality, but state courts ruled that the policy was unlawful. Still, the order disrupted the development of several coal plants.

Potential Conflict of Interest

Granholm owns as much as $5 million of stock options in Proterra, “a company that designs and manufactures zero-emission electric buses and trucks and provides battery-electric buses and charging systems to municipalities in several states, including California, Virginia and Washington state.” She currently sits on Proterra’s board of directors but has pledged to divest from the company once confirmed. Will Proterra benefit from special treatment and reap new government subsidies?

In the News

Biden’s Energy Secretary Nominee Needs To Answer A Few Questions by Daniel Turner in the Daily Caller

Photo Source: TechCrunch Disrupt San Francisco 2019 – Day 2