WASHINGTON – The American Exploration and Production Council congratulated Jennifer Granholm on her bipartisan confirmation to serve as the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy. During her confirmation process, Secretary Granholm expressed her willingness to work with Congress to promote policies which spur innovation and enhance our country’s ability to demonstrate climate leadership globally:
“The United States leads the world in emissions reductions, and we can lead on climate solutions globally through investments in technology and innovation, increasing the use of natural gas, and promoting the global export of U.S. LNG. These policies help reduce emissions and provide countries around the globe with cleaner, yet affordable and reliable energy sources.
“We want to congratulate U.S. Energy Secretary Granholm on her confirmation and hope to work with her and the Energy Department as partners, in support of the research necessary to develop new technologies, demonstrate their potential in critical applications, incentivize commercial investment in promising innovations, and deploy new technologies in public sector applications.”
Background:
During her confirmation hearing, Governor Granholm was questioned by Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) about whether foreign consumption of US LNG would serve our geopolitical interest. Granholm responded, “Yes, if for example, I know that some senators are interested in the smaller exports to island nations that might be using coal or diesel, etc. It might lower the greenhouse gas emissions for those countries. And, I would also say that I would also want to work with the natural gas providers to see if we can continue to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the point of production.”
Senator Lee then asked Granholm if American natural gas is a cleaner fuel source than what those countries might be currently using to which Granholm responded, “in terms of emissions, that’s true.” Granholm also agreed that DOE plays a role in promoting American energy abroad.
Our federal government has a unique opportunity to meet growing demand while ensuring it will be filled by an energy source that better serves global climate goals by promoting U.S. LNG to global markets that currently use more emissions intensive energy sources. For example, China gets about 2/3 of its electricity from coal, India gets about 3/4. U.S. LNG can help reduce emissions by 50 percent. U.S. LNG can also ensure that worldwide energy demand is satisfied in a manner that minimizes GHG emissions while maximizing reliability and cost-efficiency.
About the American Exploration and Production Council:
AXPC is a national trade association representing the largest independent oil and natural gas exploration and production companies in the United States. We lead the world in the cleanest and safest onshore production of oil and gas, while supporting millions of Americans in high-paying jobs and investing a wealth of resources in our communities. Learn more at https://axpc.org/
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