US Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday that she supports the Biden administration’s push for the US military to replace its non-tactical vehicles with an all-electric vehicle fleet by 2030.
“I do, and I think we can get there, as well,” Granholm responded to Republican Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa. “I do think that reducing our reliance on the volatility of globally traded fossil fuels where we know that global events like the war in Ukraine can jack up prices for people back home…does not contribute to energy security.”
“I think energy security is achieved when we have homegrown, clean energy that is abundant like you see in Iowa,” the energy secretary added. “We think we can be a leader globally in how we have become energy independent.”
The interview has gained the ire of Ernst, echoing many Republicans, accusing President Joe Biden and Secretary Granholm of putting the “climate crusade” ahead of the military’s safety.
In an interview with John Catsimatidis on WABC 770 AM’s Cats Roundtable, Ernst expressed her frustration, saying that war isn’t fought that way.
“This administration has taken it to the extremes with this climate agenda,” she said. “We are not focusing on the lethality of our American military. Instead, they are focusing on green energy and climate change. This is not how we project power around the world.”
“This is a ludicrous idea to transition all of these vehicles,” Ernst continued. “And Secretary Granholm was very adamant that yes, by 2030, we could transition — but the problem with this is that we continue to enrich China because we know that most of the parts… it’s all owned, controlled by China.”
The military’s plan to establish an all-electric vehicle fleet to cut emissions by 50% by 2030 targets non-tactical vehicles. To achieve its climate goals, the military aims to implement an “all-electric light-duty non-tactical vehicle fleet by 2027” and an “all-electric non-tactical vehicle fleet by 2035.”
Granholm first gained the ire of Republicans earlier in the year when they accused her of wanting to take away their gas stoves.
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