As part of his transition process, President-elect Joe Biden is slated to pick former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm to run the Energy Department. The agency is expected to make a noteworthy contribution in terms of developing the technologies that will come in handy to fulfill its pledge to eliminate America's dependency on fossil fuels.
Biden also plans to pick former Environmental Protection Agency chief Gina McCarthy for the powerful new position of domestic climate chief. She will be in charge of running the president-elect's ambitious climate plans across the federal government.
Aside from that, he nominated his former rival, Pete Buttigieg, as secretary of transportation, whom he describes as "a patriot and a problem-solver," according to Bloomberg. These three will play vital roles in helping Biden remake the United States' country's automobiles and transportation systems and move off petroleum emissions that are damaging the climate.
Granholm boasts an impressive experience in dealing with the auto industry and has served two terms as Michigan's governor. Her experience would be a big advantage as Biden seeks to expedite the rollout of EVs (electric vehicles), as well as the network of charging stations that are required to power these EVs.
Granholm's experience in the auto industry is expected to help the new president's team to make it more appealing to blue-collar workers and the manufacturing sectors as the incoming administration assures to make climate the center of its economic transformation, according to POLITICO. This will also be a significant change from Trump's first Energy Secretary, Rick Perry.
Perry, a former Texas Governor, used his position to facilitate natural gas exports and encouraged regulators to use coal as a power source. A major portion of the Energy Department's budget is utilized to maintain America's nuclear weapons arsenal. In addition to that, it operates the 17 national labs that develop advanced technology for producing fossil fuel and used in renewables, nuclear energy.
Granholm, 61, who has been a supporter of Biden's presidential bid, hasn't shied away from talking against Trump's efforts to reverse the election results. She even accused the president of "poisoning democracy," according to the Economic Times.
Granholm and McCarthy's intended selections were confirmed by three people familiar with the picks. They divulged the information on the condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly ahead of Biden's announcement.