Senator Hirono Meets with Former Governor Jennifer Granholm, Nominee for Energy Secretary

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) met with President-elect Biden’s nominee for Secretary of Energy, former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm. Senator Hirono is a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which will consider Governor Granholm’s nomination. After briefly discussing the alarming invasion of the Capitol, they discussed some of Governor Granholm’s priorities if she is confirmed as Secretary of Energy.

Governor Granholm applauded Hawaii as a model for green energy, highlighting the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative agreement the Department of Energy has with the state and the necessity of continuing that commitment to support the state’s transition to renewable energy. They discussed Hawaii’s mandate to have 100 percent renewable power by 2045 and the state’s pledge to also have a carbon neutral economy by 2045. President-elect Biden has set the goal of a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035. 

Senator Hirono and Governor Granholm also discussed economic diversity, and the need to prepare people and jobs for the renewable energy economy, which will be particularly important when people return to work after the COVID-19 pandemic is appropriately addressed. Senator Hirono encouraged Governor Granholm to work with the Native Hawaiian community when considering projects in Hawaii. Both the Senator and the Governor also agreed on the necessity of maintaining civilian control of the Department of Energy’s nuclear weapons program, a priority Senator Hirono has supported in the National Defense Authorization Act.

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