CONFERENCE CHATTER: U.S. DOE Secretary 'Very Bullish' on Future of EVs, Resolute on LNG Pause

Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Jennifer Granholm has been a key member of the Biden Administration's cabinet and climate agenda as the administrator of the agency tasked with regulating the industry which houses the largest emitters of greenhouses gases (GHG) in the U.S.

Granholm said the Biden Administration still has its sights set on reaching its goal of 50% electrification among new cars sold by 2030.

“We are very bullish on EVs,” Granholm said. “We are pressing the accelerator on the EV charging station rollout. This is happening, folks. And not because of anything the government is mandating, but because of what people feel when they talk to their neighbors who have an EV.”

Though higher costs and lack of education and/or availability of EV stations have been obstacles for consumers in the past, Granholm said the Biden Administration has been effective in reducing these gaps.

“All of those barriers systemically are being taken down because of the president's agenda,” Granholm said. “We now have 184,000 EV chargers nationwide and 24 states have contracts in place to install EV chargers.”

Granholm expects the peak of the charging station buildout to occur in 2027.

A Green Development Boom?

Nearly 700 factories across the country are producing clean energy, including makers of batteries for solar panels or wind turbines, Granholm said.

“It is amazing what happens when you have industrial policy that actually combats the industrial policy of other nations, and that's what's happening in the U.S.,” Granholm said. “In communities that have been left behind, they're starting to see this activity.”

Reshoring supply chains from China and elsewhere is another objective of the Biden Administration, Granholm added, though she doesn't view a complete separation from Chinese manufacturing as realistic.

'That doesn't happen overnight,” Granholm said. “But we're getting more of the market share back, and we're not going to stand idly by and just watch while these other nations have their thumbs on the scale and cede this territory to other nations.”

LNG Pause

Asked about the liquified natural gas (LNG) export permit pause issued 26 January 2024 by the Biden Administration, Granholm stood firm behind her department's decision despite vocal opposition from LNG exporters, as previously reported by 3E.

“This does not affect any of the exports that are underway right now, none of the projects that have been authorized are affected,” Granholm said. “We are currently exporting 14 billion cubic feet and we have authorized to export 48 billion.”

Brad Crabtree, DOE's assistant secretary for the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, told lawmakers 18 April 2024 that the review would be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2025.

————–

Editor's Note: 3E is expanding news coverage to provide customers with insights into topics that enable a safer, more sustainable world by protecting people, safeguarding products, and helping businesses grow. Conference Chatter articles, produced by reporters, feature insights from subject matter experts and influencers and substantive discussions of emerging trends and developments with industry leaders and professionals.