New Jersey's incoming governor, Mikie Sherrill (D.), has enlisted the expertise of former energy secretary Jennifer Granholm, a key player in the Biden administration's green energy policies.
These policies, however, have not found favor with the majority of New Jersey voters. Granholm, along with former Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) member Allison Clements, will co-chair Sherrill's transition team's energy task force.
According to The Washington Free Beacon, this assembly of Biden administration veterans indicates that despite Sherrill's centrist stance on energy matters during her campaign, she is poised to govern with a strong focus on climate change. Both Granholm and Clements have a track record of endorsing far-left policies such as electric vehicle (EV) mandates, bans on gas stoves, and costly offshore wind projects, which are largely unpopular among New Jersey residents.
Granholm, a staunch advocate of EVs during her tenure in the Biden administration, encouraged Americans to transition from gas-powered vehicles to EVs. She dismissed concerns about EV ownership, such as cost and range anxiety, and proudly highlighted the administration's billion-dollar subsidies to the EV industry.
However, the latest industry data shows that less than 10 percent of new car purchases in New Jersey are battery electric, despite a state law mandating that electric cars constitute 43 percent of new car purchases by 2027. This figure mirrors the sentiment of the majority of New Jersey residents, who, according to a 2024 Rutgers University poll, would not consider buying an EV and are against EV mandates.
Granholm's promotion of EVs culminated in a 2023 four-day road trip across four states, aimed at demonstrating the reliability of battery-powered cars. However, the trip was marred by controversy when Granholm's team used gas-powered SUVs to reserve EV chargers for her vehicle at a stop in Georgia, leading to disgruntled drivers calling the police. Granholm attributed the incident to "poor judgment on the part of the team."
The trip sparked a congressional investigation and an inspector general probe, which revealed that the trip cost taxpayers $124,823 and that Granholm's staff's expenses exceeded the set per diem.
Moreover, Granholm, who later admitted to owning a gas-powered stove, spearheaded the Biden administrations efforts to ban a significant number of gas stove models. Under her leadership, the Energy Department proposed regulations that would have outlawed half of the gas stove models available in the market.
However, a March 2024 Affordable Energy for New Jersey survey revealed that 67 percent of registered voters prefer natural gas for their appliances and home heating. Only 20 percent favor electricity for powering appliances like stoves, and a similar percentage supports a proposal to mandate the transition from natural gas to electric heat in all homes.
Granholm was also a strong supporter of offshore wind during the Biden administration. She was instrumental in setting the goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2030, providing $3 billion in federal funding to offshore wind developers, and facilitating power contracts between developers and state regulators. However, two offshore wind projects approved by the Biden administration for federal waters off New Jersey's coast were canceled due to strong opposition from locals, environmental groups, and lawmakers. Experts warned that these wind farms would have increased electricity rates for residents.
Granholm's tenure was not without controversy. She faced conflict-of-interest concerns when she introduced gas stove regulations shortly after promoting a study on the alleged health risks associated with gas stove use. This study was funded by the Rocky Mountain Institute, an environmental think tank with ties to the Chinese Communist Party, with which Granholm had private meetings as energy secretary.
She also held private discussions with Chinese energy official Zhang Jianhua just days before announcing that the U.S. would sell off tens of millions of barrels of emergency oil reserves, a decision criticized for undermining energy security and giving leverage to adversaries like China.
Allison Clements, the other co-chair of Sherrills energy team, also faced conflict-of-interest issues during her tenure. She was criticized in 2022 after it was revealed that she privately briefed donors of the U.S. Energy Foundation, her former employer. She also met with leaders of the Natural Resources Defense Council, another left-wing environmental nonprofit she had previously worked for.
Clements was the subject of a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee investigation after failing to recuse herself from matters related to solar firm Sol Systems, where her husband was employed.
Sherrill's decision to appoint Granholm and Clements to her energy team raises questions about the direction of her energy policies, given their history of supporting far-left policies and facing conflict-of-interest issues. As New Jersey prepares for a new administration, it remains to be seen how these appointments will shape the state's energy landscape and whether they will align with the preferences of New Jersey voters. Sherrill did not respond to a request for comment.
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