President-elect Joe Biden is reportedly set to pick former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm to lead the U.S. Department of Energy.
Politico reported Tuesday evening that Granholm’s experience in dealing with Michigan’s auto industry is considered valuable by a Biden administration that pledged to make large federal investments in electric vehicles and charging stations. Granholm served two terms as Michigan’s first woman governor from 2003 to 2011 and was the state’s first woman attorney general.
Biden’s plan to create 1 million new jobs in auto manufacturing and connected industries was a major part of his pitch to Michigan voters during the presidential campaign. Politico reported that Granholm used to a Nov. 7 op-ed focused on investing in a “low-carbon economy” to promote herself for the Department of Energy position.
“The economics are clear: The time for a low-carbon recovery is now,” Granholm wrote in her op-ed published by The Detroit News. “Michigan is looking to its policymakers to support clean job growth and rebuild our state economy in a way that leaves no one behind. The health and well-being of our people, business community, state economy and future depends on it.”
As governor, Granholm focused on growing Michigan’s economy by bringing alternative energy jobs to the state. One key policy passed under her tenure was a bipartisan energy package that mandates 10 percent of the state’s energy come from renewable sources by 2015.
“The great thing about this new energy industry is that, just like our auto industry, it creates all kinds of jobs for all kinds of people,” Granholm said during her 2009 State of the State address. “The job your neighbor is looking for today and the job your child will go to college for tomorrow.”
Granholm was governor during the federal bailout of Michigan’s auto industry and was a strong proponent for the deal during negotiations. Biden also kept a focus on ensuring Michigan voters knew his role in helping the auto industry recover from the Great Recession as vice president in the Obama administration.
Granholm was considered for U.S. Secretary of Energy in the Obama administration and was reportedly a potential Supreme Court candidate in 2009. She remained active in the Democratic Party after finishing her second term as Michigan’s governor and also worked as a political commentator for several news networks.
U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn, celebrated the news in a statement Tuesday evening.
“Our nation is entering a new era of energy and we need leaders willing to make smart, tough choices on our path ahead,” Dingell said. “With deep experience in the auto industry, climate change, and clean energy, Jennifer Granholm is the right choice to lead the Department of Energy under the Biden Administration. She understands how energy and environmental policies can be used to support working families, and she knows how to craft solutions to the most pressing issues we face today. This appointment is good news for Michigan and it’s good news for our country.”