Georgia Rep. Rick Allen has criticized Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm for praising China's climate initiatives, saying she should retract her words because China is a major polluter, as well as an adversary of the U.S.
In a March 10 interview with SXSW Studio, Granholm said the Biden Administration is pursuing "very aggressive targets" to combat climate change, saying the U.S. plans to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. She added that China "has been very sensitive and has actually invested a lot in their solutions to achieve their goals, saying that "we can all learn from what China is doing, but the amount of money that they're investing in clean energy is actually encouraging."
Allen took to Twitter to express his objection to the comments. "Today my @HouseCommerce colleagues and I sent a letter to DOE Secretary Granholm, demanding she retract her recent comments praising China's energy policies," he wrote. "Those who represent America on the world stage should not praise top polluters like China who threaten our security."
According to Newsweek, China and the U.S. have agreed to cooperate on climate initiatives, despite tensions over issues such as Taiwan. China has invested a total of approximately $926 billion in clean energy projects such as wind plants, solar farms, and electric vehicles since 2021, a response to previous environmental concerns.
According to World Meteorological Organization data, China emitted more than 10,065 million tons of CO2 in 2019, or approximately 30% of total global emissions, making it the world's top polluter, Climate Trade reported. The U.S. was the second largest polluter, emitting 5,416 million tons of CO2, or approximately 14% of the world's total. The U.S. was followed by India, Russia, and Japan. China was also the world's largest polluter in 2021, emitting almost 31% of the world's CO2, according to Statista.
The letter written by Allen and other Congressmen of the Energy and Commerce Committee stated that they were "deeply troubled" by Granholm's statements "praising China for its supposed efforts to address climate change risks, as they raise serious questions about your judgement and priorities as Secretary of Energy." They wrote Granholm's "alarming comments" "reflect an uninformed, unserious perspective on the goals and intentions of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its abysmal human rights and environmental record."
Allen and the other lawmakers called on Granholm to rescind her statements and appear in front of the committee to explain them. "Instead of acclaiming China and the CCP and amplifying its propaganda, let's join together in exposing the dangers of our growing dependence upon China for energy, transportation, and technology systems," the letter said. "Let's join together to safeguard American technology from the CCP's relentless efforts to steal and exploit our innovations for its military and economic agenda."
The letter, which was also signed by Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Subcommittee on Energy, Climate and Grid Security Chair Jeff Duncan, went on to express concern that the Biden Administration's "rush-to-green agenda" is making the U.S. even more dependent on China through the critical mineral supply chain. "Plus, this administration's constant promotion of mandates and subsidies to electrify our transportation systems will result in American mobility controlled with components and materials from China," the letter said.
A House Committee on Natural Resources hearing last month discussed the fact that China "unquestionably" dominates the global supply chains of minerals, both in raw material and refined products, according to House documents. New mining projects in the U.S. typically take hundreds of millions of dollars in upfront capital and require as long as 10 years to get through the permitting process, according to the documents.
The refining process for minerals once they have been mined is also long and expensive. Hardrock minerals, such as copper, lithium, and cobalt are critical components in smart phones, laptops, satellites, national defense technology, and renewable energy technology such as electric vehicle batteries, according to the committee. The rising demand for renewable energy technology corresponds with an increasing demand for those minerals, which must be mined.
