Nomination hearing for Biden Energy pick Granholm set for Wednesday

The Senate will consider President Biden’s nomination of former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) to lead the Energy Department on Wednesday. 

Granholm will face questions from the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which is led by Democrat Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Republican John Barrasso (Wyo.), though it’s unclear how many senators will be joining the hearing in person amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

Biden announced last month that he was nominating Granholm to the position, which oversees a broad portfolio ranging from energy production to national security. He emphasized her experience on clean energy and jobs, particularly as governor during the Great Recession. 

“Throughout her career, she’s worked with states, cities, business and labor to promote [a] clean energy future,” Biden said in December. “Now I’m asking her to bring that vision and faith in America to the Department of Energy.”

Since her nomination, Granholm stressed the economic opportunity in fighting climate change, echoing similar statements from Biden.

“Every country is going to be buying solar panels and they’re going to be buying wind turbines and they’re going to be buying electric vehicles and the batteries and they’re going to upgrade their electric grids,” she said in December. 

“We could be producing that material, those products here in the United States, and stamping the Made in America and exporting them around the country. We need to be the leader, rather than passive bystanders or otherwise we’re going to allow other countries like China and others who are fighting to be able to corner this market,” she added.

In recent days, Granholm has faced some scrutiny over her position on the board of directors of and stock options in an electric vehicle technology manufacturer.  

She said in an ethics filing that upon confirmation, she will resign from the board and will divest from or forfeit her stock options.