The U.S. Senate Energy Committee voted 13-4 on Wednesday to approve the nomination of former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm to head the Energy Department, as reported by Reuters.
Granholm, 61, wants to steer the department to help the United States compete with China on electric vehicles and green technologies like advanced batteries and solar and wind power. Senator John Barrasso, a Republican from fossil fuel producing Wyoming, expressed concerns that President Joe Biden’s push to curb climate change would threaten thousands of jobs in coal, gas and oil, and voted against Granholm.
Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama
