U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on Wednesday asked fossil fuel executives at a conference to increase production levels “to stabilize the market and to minimize harm to American families.”
Granholm asked them to start “producing right now” during remarks at the CERAWeek by S&P Global conference taking place this week in Houston, which attracts energy leaders from around the globe.
Gas prices have been rising steadily over the past few months in the wake of President Joe Biden’s policies of restricting domestic oil and gas production and were further exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“We have to responsibly increase short term supply where we can right now to stabilize the market and to minimize harm to American families,” Granholm said. “And that means releases from the strategic reserves across the world like we’ve done.”
“That means you producing more right now, where and if you can,” Granholm told the conference audience during the luncheon and keynote address.
“In this moment of crisis, we need more supply,” Granholm said, referencing the war in Ukraine.
Her remarks are in stark contrast to what she said just a few months ago at the 2021 United Nation’s climate change conference in Glasgow, Scotland.
CNBC reported on Granholm’s remarks at the November COP26 Glasgow conference:
Speaking to CNBC’s Steve Sedgwick at the COP26 climate change summit on Friday morning, Jennifer Granholm emphasized the importance of diversifying “into clean energy so that we are not reliant upon the volatility of fossil fuels.”
“It’s a doubling down on why we should diversify into clean energy so that we are not reliant upon the volatility of fossil fuels,” Granholm added.
“The bottom line is, this is … exactly why we should be, as a globe, focusing on getting our resources from the sun, from the wind, from the technology that we’ve developed in electric vehicles, etcetera.”
Fox Business reported that Granholm also attacked Republicans who are pushing for the Biden Administration to open up the domestic energy sector to increase the flow of fossil fuels. This move would create jobs and once again provide reliable and affordable energy for Americans, they argue.
Fox reported:
“There are some here, maybe at least lobbyists or beltway politicians who seem to think that this is the time to recycle old talking points,” she said.
“People are arguing that if a pipeline that wouldn’t have even been in operation by now [were] still under construction, the situation with today’s oil prices would be different,” Granholm added. “Or that President Biden’s policies have decreased production when we’re actually at record levels of natural gas and LNG and will be at record levels of oil production… We all know that that is the same old D.C. B.S.”
Among the critics of the Biden administration at CERAWeek was Sean Strawbridge, the CEO of the Port of Corpus Christi. He told FOX Business among the “headwinds” to increased U.S. energy production is this administration’s climate agenda, which really took aim at the oil and gas sector.
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