- The Washington Times - Tuesday, December 15, 2020

President-elect Joseph R. Biden is expected to name former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm as his pick to be secretary of energy and former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy as a chief adviser on domestic climate policy, according to multiple reports Tuesday.

Ms. Granholm, a longtime Biden ally, is also a former attorney general of the state.

As governor, she pushed a plan to boost Michigan’s use of renewable energy and worked with the Obama administration on the 2009 auto industry bailout during the Great Recession.

As energy secretary, Ms. Granholm would oversee the country’s nuclear arsenal and would be charged with helping implement parts of Mr. Biden’s expansive agenda to combat climate change.

Ms. McCarthy, a former EPA Administrator during the Obama administration, is now the president of the Natural Resources Defense Council.

She helped implement the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan to cut carbon emissions - a plan that was eventually replaced by the Trump administration and had been the subject of multiple court battles.

Mr. Biden has already named former Secretary of State John Kerry as a special envoy for climate - a position that will be part of the National Security Council.

Others who had been mentioned as possible picks for energy secretary include Ernest Moniz, a former energy secretary under former President Barack Obama, and Arun Majumdar, a former Google executive and former acting under secretary of energy during the Obama administration.

Politico first reported the news of the expected pick of Ms. Granholm.

• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.

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