Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm Visits La. and Discusses Oil Industry, and Wind Power

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) -The US energy secretary is in New Orleans at this hour discussing environmental justice. Earlier today she visited the strategic petroleum reserve outside of Baton Rouge As well as a wind blade test facility in New Orleans east.

For 10 years now General Electric and its subsidiary have been building cutting edge wind turbine blades next to NASA Michoud.

Energy secretary Jennifer Granholm visited GE’s wind blade testing plant at Michoud , where she learned about 3-D modular blade construction techniques.

“Louisiana is an amazing place to be able to lead in the manufacture and employment of offshore wind technology,” said Granholm.

The energy secretary discussed incentivizing the wind power industry to fulfill energy needs and bring more jobs.

“If we have learned anything from Putin’s invasion and the volatility of the fossil fuel markets we do want to transition to clean homegrown American energy to be energy secure and to rely on technologies are prices that continue to go down instead of being volatile,” said Granholm.

“This is a classic example of American workers doing what’s good for America and the Compete act helps get back to American manufacturing,” said rep. Troy Carter (D-La.)

Secretary Granholm’s visit here to Michoud came just hours after she announced she was opening strategic petroleum reserves in Louisiana and Texas in an effort to stabilize record high gas prices.

“We want to increase supply today to bring prices down and stabilize supply and demand it is the one tool that we have right now,” she said.

Secretary Granholm said they will start withdrawing about 1 million barrels a day from the reserve for the next six months boosting supply at a time when some in the oil industry criticize the Biden administration for policies restricting leasing, and driving up oil prices

“That’s absolutely false, the price on the global market as you heard me say, oil is traded globally we do want to see a movement to electrification of transportation but we know many people aren’t in a position to buy electric vehicles today,” Granholm said.

The U.S. Energy Secretary says the Biden administration is now pushing a $10,000 tax credit per electric car to try and make them more affordable.

Reuters News Service reported that last week strategic petroleum reserves dipped to 538 million barrels, its lowest level since 1987

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