In a turn of events that caught many off guard, a Senate Committee meeting slated to greenlight President Biden’s nominee for a key energy post was abruptly altered.
Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia and Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, unexpectedly pulled the agenda item concerning Jeff Marootian’s nomination to head the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
The committee, which had initially planned to progress Marootian’s nomination to a full floor vote, will now redirect its attention to the other 21 agenda items. This decision represents a critical juncture in the Biden administration’s efforts to fill a key post integral to his administration’s woke energy agenda.
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“Even though I was in favor of Mr. Marootian’s nomination back in December, since then, the office he’s been selected to lead has introduced stove efficiency rules that I have serious reservations about,” Senator Manchin shared with media outlets.
“I believe it’s part of a broader, administration-wide effort to eradicate fossil fuels,” he added, explaining his hesitation in supporting Marootian’s nomination at this juncture.
Marootian, whose professional career has spanned multiple roles within the Biden administration and Washington, D.C.’s Department of Transportation, was initially nominated to lead the EERE office in July 2022. His nomination was a bid to fill the vacancy left by Daniel Simmons, the Trump administration’s pick, who left the DOE in early 2021.
Jennifer Granholm, the DOE Secretary, subsequently appointed Marootian as her senior advisor for energy efficiency and renewable energy in September. Despite his confirmation hearing taking place in November, Marootian’s nomination found itself in a state of limbo by the end of the session, leading President Biden to renominate him in January.
Last year, Granholm expressed confidence in Marootian’s abilities to lead the DOE’s most extensive applied energy office and assist the administration in achieving its ambitious clean energy objectives.
Yet, the committee’s Ranking Member, Senator John Barrasso, a Republican from Wyoming, openly opposed the nomination, arguing Marootian’s qualifications were better suited for a Transportation Department role.
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Simultaneously, the DOE has implemented several energy efficiency regulations affecting various household appliances, including natural gas-powered stovetops, since Marootian began advising Granholm. Critics, including consumer advocates, have lambasted these efforts as excessive governmental overreach.
The overarching objective of the EERE office is to decarbonize the U.S. economy, primarily through appliance regulations. Ben Lieberman, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, pointed out the extent of these regulations in a recent interview, stating, “It seems that almost everything that plugs in or fires up around the house is either subject to a pending regulation or soon will be.”
He warned of consumers’ likely backlash, explaining, “These rules are almost always bad for consumers for the simple reason that they restrict consumer choice.”
Over the past five months, the DOE has revealed standards to enhance the energy efficiency of numerous appliances, including ovens, clothes washers, refrigerators, air conditioners, and dishwashers.
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Its rules targeting stoves, which were introduced in February and are projected to remove 50% of current models from the market, have drawn significant criticism from Senator Manchin, Republicans, and consumer groups alike.
According to the current federal Unified Agenda, a semiannual government-wide list that details regulations agencies plan to propose or finalize within the next 12 months, the Biden administration is proceeding with rules impacting several other appliances. These include consumer furnaces, pool pumps, battery chargers, ceiling fans, and dehumidifiers.
Secretary Granholm, however, remains unwavering in her defense of the administration’s actions, emphasizing their commitment to saving American consumers money while promoting innovative solutions to reduce carbon emissions and tackle the climate crisis.
“On May 5, after unveiling rules targeting dishwashers, electric motors, and beverage vending machines, she declared, “This administration is using all of the tools at our disposal to support healthier, safer communities for the American people.”
The Secretary added that the DOE is “making rapid progress to strengthen outdated energy efficiency standards — as directed by Congress and in coordination with our industry partners and stakeholders.”
The blocking of Marootian’s nomination by a member of his own party demonstrates the challenges faced by the Biden administration in its efforts to advance a progressive energy agenda, one that is intent of forcing the transition from fossil fuels to more “sustainable” energy sources. There is definitely dissension from some democrats, like Joe Manchin.