MidstreamPowerUpstreamWomen in Energy

Who is who in Biden’s climate and energy team?

Biden energy team

President elect, Joe Biden, announced his climate an energy team on Saturday, remarking its diversity and ensuring a fast and robust action on climate change, the greatest threat for American society today.

“Like their fellow cabinet nominees and appointees, the members of our environment and energy team are brilliant, qualified, tested and they are barrier busting,” president-elect, said. As he announced his pick for Deb Haaland as Interior Department Secretary, Jennifer Granholm as secretary of energy, and Gina McCarthy for national climate advisor, and Michael Regan as administration of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Meet Biden’s climate and energy team

Deb Haaland

She has been a U.S. representative from New Mexico in the first congressional district since 2019. Also, she is a former chairwoman of the Democratic Party of New Mexico. Born in Winslow, Arizona, she attended the University of New Mexico where she graduated as a bachelor of Arts in English.

In 2006, she earned a Juris Doctor title in University of New Mexico School of Law. As she is a member of the Laguna Pueblo people, a community that has lived in New Mexico since the 1200, she is recognized as being one of the few women, and native American member of the Congress.

In 2012, she served as New Mexico’s vote director for Native Americans during Obama’s reelection campaign. Then, in 2014, she rebuild the state’s party after several defeat in elections. In 2018, she run for the House of Representatives 1st congressional district where she receive 40,5% of votes, she won every district. If confirmed by the senate. She will be the first native American to lead the Interior Department.

biden energy team
Biden’s picks for Energy team

Jennifer Granholm

She was the first woman to serve as Michigan’s governor (2003-2007), for the Democratic Party. Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, she moved by the age of four to California, where she attended school, and graduated at University of California in Berkeley, as bachelor in arts, and then, as a Juris Doctor in Harvard Law School.

As Michigan’s governor, she was reelected in 2006 for a second term, where she served until January 2011 due to state-term limits. It’s the first time she would serve in the energy industry. As we reported previously, there was some speculation over Ernest Moniz coming back as energy secretary. Nevertheless, Biden’s pick for his energy team, was Granholm, as she is appointed to create green jobs for American people.

We can win those jobs for American workers with the right policy, we can, and I know what those jobs will mean both for the planet and those workers and families,” she said, amid the announcement of her picking.

Recommended for you: Cybersecurity hack has U.S. energy industry at threat

Michael S. Regan

He is an environmental regulator and specialist, currently serving as second secretary of North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality. He was picked by Biden to become the next administrator of the EPA, where he previously served as air quality specialist.

Regan began his carrier since the Clinton administration as an environmental regulator, back in 1998 until 2008, when Bush was president. Then, he joined the Environmental Defense Fund, where he became vice president for clean energy.

If confirmed, Regan would be the first African American administrator of the EPA, and he would be responsible of pushing and adapting Biden’s fight on climate change, and addressing issues like environmental justice and racism. About the diversity of his cabinet picks, Biden said:

“Already there are more people of color in our cabinet than any cabinet ever, more women than ever. The Biden-Harris cabinet, it will be historic, a cabinet that looks like America, that taps into the best of America, that opens doors and includes the full range of talents we have in this nation,” he said.

Gina McCarthy

Former administrator of the EPA, from 2013 to 2017, during Obama’s administration. She is an air quality and environmental health expert. Currently, she is the president and CEO of the Natural Resources Defense Council.

She graduated from the University of Massachusetts, first, as a bachelor of arts, and then as a Master of Science and Environmental Health Engineering. As EPA’s administrator, she sought serious objectives for serious action upon climate change. For some, her selection confirmed the seriousness of the crisis, back in 2013.

In 2015, she designed the Clean Power Plan seeking to reduce the use of coal and as a mean to achieve the Paris Agreement goals.

On January 6, Congress will meet to agree on Biden’s energy team picks, and in January 20 his term will be inaugurated.

Related posts

European energy crisis an opportunity for Canada

editor

547 Energy launches renewable energy self-consumption platform

editor

Weaker dollar pushes oil; U.S stocks cap further gains

editor