Biden Energy Secretary Granholm: Clean energy is 'best peace plan the world has ever known'

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Jennifer Granholm says America must transition to green energy to ensure its national security

U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said the U.S. must transition to green energy to protect its national security.

Biden Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm suggested in a recent interview that the United States’ green energy push will be the "greatest peace plan" in world history.

"If we want to be energy secure and energy independent, that means we've got to produce our own energy," Granholm said in an interview with VOA News on Friday. "My counterpart in Ireland, the energy minister there, has said that no one has ever weaponized access to the sun. No one has ever weaponized the wind. Perhaps a move to clean energy will be the greatest peace plan the world has ever known."

Granholm’s comment immediately received criticism from conservatives on Twitter and was highlighted in a post from an account operated by the Republican National Committee. 

"The war in Ukraine and ensuing energy crisis were entirely brought about by 'clean energy' and climate idiocy," author and Fox News contributor Steve Milloy responded. "Lying. Airhead."

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Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington.  (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Granholm’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Granholm has referenced the conversation with her Irish counterpart in the past including an instance in April that prompted Republican Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers to call her out on Twitter for a "dangerous" line of thinking.

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm speaks during a press briefing at the White House, Nov. 23, 2021, in Washington.  (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

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In the interview, Granholm said that the increasing oil production is what the administration is calling for "right now" but "ultimately we've got to move to clean."

"That's what the bill that the president signed yesterday, for the United States, it is the largest commitment to combating climate change of any country in the world," Granholm said, referring to the recently signed spending bill passed through Congress by Democrats. "It's by 10 the largest bill that we've ever passed in the United States to combat climate change. So it is so important for our energy security. And I know our European allies are trying to do the same."

U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm attends the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), in Glasgow, Scotland, Britain, November 4, 2021.  (Reuters/Phil Noble/File Photo)

Granholm was asked if the upcoming winter months will be "difficult" for Europe given efforts to cut back on Russian energy dependence that many fear will cause an energy crisis as temperatures drop and more Europeans require heating.

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"I think it will be," Granholm said, adding that NATO allies are united in their opposition to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and will not back down on the effort to "wean" off of Russian fuel.

"There's no doubt it's going to be an expensive winter," Granholm said. "I know that the European leaders are looking for how they can alleviate the pain for real people in these increases in prices. But I know ultimately, they are determined to move away from Russian fuels and toward clean energy."