'Really Good Stuff': Dem Lawmaker Praises Energy Secretary Granholm's Leadership

4 months ago

During a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing, Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD) questioned Energy Sec. Jennifer Granholm about Department of Energy progress in modernization projects.

Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:

https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript

Stay Connected
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com

Transcript

00:00 Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

00:02 Secretary Granholm, you will not be surprised to hear that I think you're doing a terrific

00:06 job.

00:07 I want to thank you for all your work from the outset, and in particular today, just

00:14 talking about the amazing progress the Department of Energy is making in implementing the bipartisan

00:19 infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction Act.

00:23 It's really good stuff.

00:25 These investments are critical to strengthening our domestic energy profile and fortify our

00:31 overall energy and national security interests in the larger global marketplace, as you know.

00:38 Given the precarious state of global energy markets and the impact that global conflicts

00:42 such as the war in Ukraine, which you've talked about, have had on energy security, it is

00:49 critically important we continue work in partnership with our allies to explore clean energy solutions

00:55 and think carefully about our broad energy future.

01:00 The Department of Energy, as you're well aware, has done an excellent job of working in tandem

01:05 with international partners to achieve our clean energy goals, and one example of this

01:11 is the implementation of the U.S.-Israel Energy Center.

01:16 I wondered if you could speak about the accomplishments of the U.S.-Israel Energy Center and the importance

01:21 of reauthorizing the center.

01:23 Yeah, thanks for that.

01:24 You know, between the Byrd Energy Program and the U.S.-Israel Energy Center, which recently

01:32 met at DOE headquarters for their first in-person executive meeting, we welcomed over 40 members

01:40 of the committee, the executive committee of the various consortia, to meet with projects.

01:47 It is critical that we continue to forge partnerships on technology and on advances and on entrepreneurship.

01:54 And on ways – and learn from one another.

01:57 And between Byrd and the U.S.-Israel Energy Center, those two mechanisms of ensuring that

02:05 we get the best ideas going in both directions is very important.

02:10 Israel's got obviously huge expertise in things like smart agriculture and in batteries

02:18 and in all the things that we are focused on as well, given that they're so – in

02:23 an area that's sensitive to not having to use fossil fuels from neighbors that may not

02:29 be in their camp, I'll just say.

02:31 So we can learn a lot from each other.

02:34 Thanks very much.

02:35 And building off the success of the U.S.-Israel Energy Center, you know that Congress enacted

02:41 a few years back the bipartisan Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act.

02:46 That was in 2019.

02:48 It authorized the U.S. Eastern Mediterranean Energy Center, a similar center for energy

02:54 research and collaboration, in this case with Cyprus, Greece, and Israel.

02:59 So very much modeled after the U.S.-Israel Energy Center, which – it's a terrific

03:04 opportunity, this new one, to assemble many key partners around these critical issues.

03:12 In DOE's own words, this center will, quote, "strengthen the region's energy security,

03:17 bring economic growth for countries across the region, deepen geopolitical ties among

03:23 participating governments, and open commercial opportunities for U.S. companies."

03:28 That's a quote from a concept paper that I know the department has developed.

03:32 I know there's another concept paper, kind of a revised one, in the works right now.

03:38 Could you explain the Department of Energy's plans for the United States Eastern Mediterranean

03:44 Center – I call it the East Med Center – and how the department's preparations will

03:49 allow you to establish the center once resources are appropriated, which we're working on

03:55 feverishly here to make sure that there is funding in place for this initiative?

04:00 Yeah, thank you so much for your leadership on that, making sure that we can do it.

04:04 I mean, this is, of course, forging ties between Israel, Cyprus, Greece, and Egypt.

04:12 Critical area, critical for us to be able to share ideas, again, on energy security.

04:20 And the – as we all know, with these multi-country centers like that, the benefit is because

04:27 we are able to share researchers, to be able to cross-pollinate universities and research

04:33 labs, and that's exactly what this would be doing.

04:36 We're excited to continue working with you on it and hopefully get the funding for it.

04:39 Great.

04:40 I look forward to that as well, and working with my colleagues, including on this committee

04:44 Congressman Bill Arrakis, who are very keen on advancing this center and getting it stood

04:50 up.

04:51 It's an important bipartisan priority.

04:53 Again, thank you for all the terrific work that you're doing at the department.

04:56 I yield back.

04:57 The gentleman yields, and the chair recognizes him.

'Really Good Stuff': Dem Lawmaker Praises Energy Secretary Granholm's Leadership

Category

Transcript

Recommended