Energy Secretary Urges Homeowners and Electric Vehicle Owners to Fight Climate Change

Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm had little advice for climate-friendly solutions outside of home renovations and electric vehicle purchases.

Granholm appeared on ABC’s The View Thursday ahead of Earth Day on Apr. 22, where the hosts asked her to share how their viewers can combat climate change. The hosts notably avoided questions surrounding her failure to disclose her ownership of six companies’ stocks ahead of her appointment as secretary.

“One of the biggest things you can do is to be able to weatherize your home and there are tax credits associated with that doing that. So, for example, if you want to install windows that don’t leak out the heat in the winter and the cold in the summer, you can get a tax credit for that,” Granholm said. “The second thing that people can consider is their transportation. Meaning, if they switch over, if, you know, you’re in the market for a new car and you decide you want to look at electric vehicles, this is the time. Or hybrid, hybrid-electric.”

“What if you live in the projects?” host Whoopi Goldberg asked. “What if you don’t have a home?”

Granholm acknowledged that “there are gaps in urban areas.” The secretary then talked about plans to install more EV charging stations. Goldberg listened with her chin resting in her hand until the secretary paused to say, “You don’t look convinced.”

“I am convinced, but I do have questions because people are getting energy bills — electric bills — that are insane,” Goldberg said. Granholm laughed at the question before host Alyssa Farrah Griffin asked about rising gas prices.

“People may not be aware. Oil is where you get your gas from, and it’s traded on a global market, so if there is a conflict in, you know, the Strait of Hormuz that blocks the flow of oil, that impacts you — what you pay at the pump,” Granholm said. “The president is watching this. He’s obsessed with it, and so we’re going to be doing what we can.”

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Americans bought 135,035 plug-in vehicles in March, which was an increase of 19% from the sales in March 2023. However these sales were less than 10% of the total light-duty vehicle sales for the month.

Tesla sold the most electric vehicles last year, with both its Model Y and Model 3 in the top three most purchased electric vehicles. Combined, they sold more than 1.7 million cars last year alone. The Model Y goes for over $30,000, while the average price of a gas-powered sedan is around $25,000.