President Joe Biden's administration's selection for an assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Office of Electricity is good news to his would-be boss, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.
Granholm said in her Sept. 2 Twitter post she was "thrilled" by the Biden administration's decision to nominate Gene Rodrigues, as assistant secretary in DOE's Office of Electricity.
"If confirmed, Gene would lead our work to bring our electric grid into the 21st Century to deliver clean, affordable, reliable power for America," Granholm said in her Twitter post.
In a separate statement the same day, Granholm praised Rodrigues' experience and her gratitude for his nomination.
"Gene's decades of experience working with electric utilities and improving grid technology make him uniquely suited for this role," Granholm said. "I am deeply grateful for Gene's willingness to serve the American people, and look forward to his speedy confirmation."
Rodrigues, whose nomination was announced by the White House on Sept. 2 and sent to the U.S. Senate on Monday, is a vice president in the energy, environment and infrastructure practice at the energy company ICF. Rodrigues previously worked at Southern California Edison, representing that company in its regulatory proceedings and its demand-side management policies and programs.
"During his tenure at SCE, he represented the company in regulatory proceedings and held leadership positions over the company’s portfolio of demand-side management programs and policies, which helped to ensure the provision of affordable, reliable, and resilient electric service for over 15 million people in Southern California," Granholm said in the information portion of her statement.
Rodrigues also sits on the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy's board, chairs of the board of the California Efficiency & Demand Management Council, and also chairs the outreach committee for Alliance to Save Energy's active efficiency initiative. Rodrigues is a graduate of the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and Northern Arizona University.
In addition, Rodrigues was photographed with former President Bill Clinton at the Clinton Global Initiative America meeting in 2013 and he spoke at the US/China Green Technology Summit in Shanghai, China, in 2008, according to his Facebook page.
