Category: Department of Energy

Energy Secretary Granholm’s 4 Junkets in 5 Months to Puerto Rico Sparks GOP Demands for Justification

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chairman Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) are demanding documents regarding Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm’s four tax-paid trips in five months to Puerto Rico. “The frequency and duration of these trips raise concerns regarding your attention to your other duties, particularly…


Energy Secretary Granholm’s 4 Junkets in 5 Months to Puerto Rico Spark GOP Demands for Justification

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chairman Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) are demanding documents regarding Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm’s four tax-paid trips in five months to Puerto Rico. “The frequency and duration of these trips raise concerns regarding your attention to your other duties, particularly…


Manchin Presses Energy Secretary Over Changes to EV Tax Credit Policy

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) grilled Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on Thursday over the Biden administration’s “liberalization” of the electric vehicle (EV) tax credit embedded in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Manchin, who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, warned Granholm at a hearing that the administration’s lax interpretation of the IRA would “bust…


Biden Admin Affirms Trump-Era Decision to Export Natural Gas From Alaska

The Department of Energy (DOE) on Thursday affirmed a Trump-era decision to export liquified natural gas (LNG) from a facility in Alaska. Under the Trump administration, in 2020, a company called Alaska LNG was authorized to export LNG to any country with which the United States has not entered into a free trade agreement (FTA). In a supplemental…


Biden Admin Moving Ahead With Ban on Incandescent Lightbulbs

The U.S. Department of Energy plans to phase incandescent lightbulbs out of use in favor of compact fluorescent and light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs. Last April, the DOE announced revised efficiency standards for lamps that would require the gradual phasing out of the traditional incandescent lightbulbs, which have been used to light homes since the late…


DOE Announces New Efficiency Standards for Air Conditioners and Air Cleaners

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced new energy efficiency standards for room air conditioners and portable air cleaners, which are expected to reduce household energy costs and cut pollution. In a March 23 press release, the DOE said these new standards would save American families and consumers approximately $1.5 billion annually on electricity bills and…


Energy Secretary Says ‘Awful Lot of Misinformation’ on Gas Stove Ban

A hearing on President Joe Biden’s proposed budget turned to gas stoves on March 23, as Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) asked Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm about her department’s proposed rule on the appliances. “There’s been an awful lot of misinformation that’s been floating around about this,” Granholm told Newhouse. The Department of Energy (DoE) on…


Energy Secretary Acknowledges Half of Gas Stoves Could Be Impacted by Government Proposal

A hearing on President Joe Biden’s proposed budget turned to gas stoves on March 23, as Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) asked Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm about her department’s proposed rule on the appliances. “There’s been an awful lot of misinformation that’s been floating around about this,” Granholm told Newhouse. Granholm acknowledged, however, that half of…


Watchdog Says Biden’s Energy Department Hands Out $56 Million in Unaudited Grants, Warns More Waste, Fraud Likely

More than $56 million in Department of Energy (DOE) grants to 60 for-profit recipients—including billions of dollars under President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act—are not being audited as required by federal law because DOE isn’t obtaining regular reports on how the money is being spent, according to a government watchdog. “We found that [DOE’s Office…


Republicans Ask Energy Secretary to Retract ‘Alarming’ Praise of China’s Climate Efforts

After Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm praised China on Friday for its efforts to combat climate change, Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee are seeking a retraction of those remarks and demanding that Granholm “testify immediately.” Granholm, during a March 10 interview for the 2023 South by Southwest (SXSW) conference in Austin, Texas, said…