Granholm: Fighting energy supply disruptions and climate change is 'not a binary choice'

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told global energy leaders Wednesday they needed to move fast to address the oil and gas crisis sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine while also staying focused on building a clean energy economy to fight the threats from climate change.

Increasing alternative oil and gas supplies and the international push to transition to clean energy is "not a binary choice," she told an audience at the International Energy Agency’s ministerial meeting in Paris. "Both crises need addressing now.”

The meeting is taking place as President Joe Biden prepares to huddle with NATO leaders to increase pressure on Moscow and maintain a unified front to confront Russia for its war against Ukraine. The Russian invasion has driven up energy prices, particularly in Europe, as buyers of Russian oil and gas exports scrambled to find new suppliers rather than rely on shipments that economically benefit Moscow.

Granholm said countries should move to find other reliable oil and gas supplies right now, even as they accelerate the adoption of clean energy.

“The future of energy security, the future of economic security, the future of national security, the future of climate security — these are all inextricably bound together," she said.

Details: Granholm’s remarks come as the European Union looks to the United States to help it reduce its dependence on Russian natural gas.

The Energy secretary told reporters earlier this week that the U.S. “is exporting every molecule of liquefied natural gas that we can" to help European buyers of Russian fuel, but she has emphasized that shifting to clean energy was the solution for the long-term to ensure energy security.

On Wednesday, Granholm, who is chairing the ministerial, applauded a recent effort by the IEA to orchestrate a collective release from nations' strategic oil reserves. But she cautioned more action may be required.

“We signaled that IEA members will act quickly to hedge against energy disruptions and that we will not allow Vladimir Putin to wedge our nations apart,” she said. “I applaud all of you for that important show of unity and I ask that we all be ready to take further action if it's necessary."

The secretary also used her opening remarks to pitch a new, Marshall Plan-style approach to clean and secure energy.

“I think it's a moment for us to ask at this point in our history, what is going to be our version of the Marshall Plan for clean and secure energy in 2022 and beyond?" Granholm said.

The secretary also acknowledged the need for western countries to produce the critical minerals that the clean energy transition would need. She called on IEA members to “ensure that we do not trade one energy supply chain vulnerability for another.”

“We have to source these materials responsibly,” she said. “We have to process them sustainably and we have to minimize the carbon footprint for manufacturing, all at enough scale to meet the demand."

IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol echoed Granholm’s comments in his own remarks during the Wednesday meeting, while also highlighting increasing global emissions that are exceeding the targets of the Paris climate agreement.

“It is vital that governments ensure we keep the lights on, but this does not mean we can turn off our efforts to tackle climate change,” he said. “I am very worried that our climate goals may well be another victim of Russia's aggression.”

Background: President Joe Biden is traveling to Brussels this week, where he is expected to announce further action amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including a “joint action on European energy security and reducing Europe’s dependence on Russian gas,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Tuesday.

For her part, Granholm has spent weeks calling on the U.S. oil industry to ramp up production of fuel to offset the global energy supply shock, and she has previously drawn the distinction between the immediate need to offset prices with the Biden administration’s goal to transition from fossil fuels toward clean power.