Biden Energy secretary pick Jennifer Granholm has past ties to utilities, chemical companies

Biden Energy secretary pick Jennifer Granholm has past ties to utilities, chemical companies

President-elect Joe Biden's expected pick for Energy secretary has ties to several influential political donors, including companies from an industry she may have to regulate if she is confirmed by the U.S. Senate.Jennifer Granholm, the Democratic former governor of Michigan, is likely to be formally announced as Biden's choice to lead the Department of Energy.While she led Michigan from 2003 until 2011, Granholm supported laws that encouraged energy efficiency. Campaign finance records show that her previous stances on energy and other policies have led, in part, to campaign funding from various businesses and their leaders, including DTE Energy.In 2008, she signed into law a package that would require more electricity to come from renewable sources and curtail competition among power companies, according to a local report at the time.Since her time as governor, Granholm has been supportive of the idea of electric and autonomous cars, and has pushed back on any potential impact the creation of these vehicles could have on jobs.Biden's campaign energy plan includes a push for "100% clean energy economy and reaches net-zero emissions no later than 2050" and an "investment in clean energy and climate research and innovation."People familiar with the transition told CNBC that Granholm