Buttigieg: ‘Astonished’ that Americans Can’t ‘Let Go of the Status Quo’ in Green Energy Transition

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Wednesday said he was “still astonished” that some people “seem to really struggle to let go of the status quo” when it comes to the push for greener energy.

Buttigieg, who the day before touted that high gas prices were forcing Americans towards electric vehicles, acknowledged in a CNBC “Squawk Box” interview that there were “challenges” to transitioning to cleaner energy but emphasized it was important to make the transition.

“I’m still astonished that some folks and I felt this as I was testifying in Congress yesterday. Some folks seem to really struggle to let go of the status quo,” Buttigieg outlined. “If someone wants to raise the reasons why it’s hard, those are absolutely challenges we should be taking on and working through, but if it’s done as an excuse to do nothing, all we’re doing is signing up for more of these vexing questions that pit our interests, our alliances and our values against each other year after year after year.

“I don’t want that to be dominating our public discussions in the middle of this century the way it is at the beginning of the century,” he concluded.

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