Study: Joe Biden Out of the Basement and Into the Spotlight

August 26, 2020

Joe Biden has long tried to build a reputation as a moderate Democrat, but his recent positions on energy have been anything but moderate. In our latest study, Power The Future analyzes Biden’s statements and the people he has chosen to surround himself with in order to paint a clear picture of what a Biden presidency would like for the American energy industry and the people who depend on it.

Read the full study or scroll down to see who Biden would turn to for critical decisions about our energy future.

Here’s a look at the well-known anti-energy liberals on Biden’s shortlist for key administration positions:

Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM)

Sen. Heinrich’s record representing the state of New Mexico shows a politician who cares more about earning good will with liberal leaders like Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in Washington, DC then doing what’s right economically for the constituents he represents in an energy producing state.  Usually when a politician stops looking out for their own constituents’ best interests, it means they have another job they want in life.  That makes Sen. Heinrich the front-runner for Interior right now.

Gov. Steve Bullock (D – MT)

Gov. Bullock is involved in a competitive Senate race.  As we get closer to Election day and it appears Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) will be reelected, expect to see Gov. Bullock’s name on the shortlist for potential Interior Secretary or Energy Secretary. 

Gov. Jared Polis (D – CO)

The liberal Colorado governor could be Biden’s pick to lead either the EPA or the Department of the Interior.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM)

New Mexico Governor Lujan Grisham was rumored to be on Biden’s shortlist for VP, but she may well have reason to be eyeing Energy Secretary as a consolation prize.

Secretary Julian Castro (D-TX)

The former HUD secretary could be looking to get back into the administration, potentially at the helm of the EPA.

Gov. Jay Inslee (D-WA)

Gov. Inslee’s single-issue climate campaign in the presidential primary made it clear what he’s angling for now.

Bidens’ current list of advisors is equally worrisome:

Stef Feldman is the policy director for Biden’s campaign. Previously, she was policy director at the Biden Institute at the University of Delaware. Feldman also held multiple positions in the Obama Administration including Deputy Director for Domestic and Economic Policy.

Former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy is a member of Biden’s Climate Task Force. Currently, McCarthy is the President and CEO of the Natural Resources Defense Council. While at EPA, McCarthy was instrumental in developing the Clean Power Plan.

Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL) is a member of Biden’s Climate Task Force. She is also Chair of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis and Co-chair of the House Democratic Environmental Message Team. Prior to serving in Congress, Castor was an environmental attorney and served as the chair of the Hillsborough County Environmental Protection Commission.

Rep. Donald McEachin (D-VA) is a member of Biden’s Climate Task Force. He is Co-chair of the House Democratic Environmental Message Team and co-founder of the United for Climate and Environmental Justice Congressional Task Force. McEachin was the lead sponsor of House Democrats’ “most ambitious climate legislation since progressives offered the now languishing Green New Deal resolution.”

Heather Zichal is also a member of Biden’s Climate Task Force. Zichal is the Executive Director of the Blue Prosperity Coalition and worked previously at The Nature Conservancy. Most notably, Zichal was the Deputy Assistant to the President for energy and climate change in the Obama Administration. Despite her positions in the Obama Administration and with the Biden campaign, Zichal has profited off of fossil fuels. After leaving the Obama Administration, she joined the board of Cheniere, a natural gas company. Zichal resigned from the Cheniere Board of Directors in July 2018. In 2017, her last full year on Cheniere’s board, Zichal was paid $218,771.

Frank Verrastro is a member of Biden’s Climate Task Force. Verrastro is a senior advisor with the Energy Security and Climate Change Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He has also previously served in the Departments of Energy and Interior.

Varshini Prakash is a member of Biden’s Climate Task Force. Prakash is the Executive Director of the Sunrise, “a movement of young people working to stop climate change, take back our democracy from Big Oil, and elect leaders who will fight for our generation’s health and wellbeing.” She has led demonstrations in support of the Green New Deal.

Kerry Dugan is a member of Biden’s Climate Task Force. In the Obama Administration, Dugan was Biden’s Deputy Director for Policy. She also held positions in the Department of Energy under Secretary Ernest Moniz.

Catherine Flowers is a member of Biden’s Climate Task Force. She is the founder of the Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice and is a senior fellow at the Center for Earth Ethics.

On energy and environmental policy, Biden is fully simpatico with the most extremist elements of the Democratic party and the green movement.  The effects of these policies would cripple America’s shale revolution and immiserate consumers, especially the poor.

Read the full study: