Members of Congress announced an investigation into Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm’s summer road trip through the southeast United States with a fleet of electric vehicles.
The GOP-led House Oversight Committee sent a letter to Granholm on Tuesday, requesting documents and communications “to understand the purposes, costs, and consequences” of the excursion. They set a deadline of October 10 for the records and asked for a staff-level briefing by October 3.
Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) and Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs Chairman Pat Fallon (R-TX) cited reporting that highlighted some controversy during the roadtrip in Georgia.
“We are alarmed by recent reports of your four-day summer 2023 electric vehicle (EV) road trip apparently intended to showcase the Biden Administration’s progress in achieving a radical green agenda,” the lawmakers wrote.
“Using an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle, your Department of Energy (DOE) staff blocked off an EV-only charging station so you could stay on a schedule which was ‘painstakingly mapped out ahead of time’ because of limited, slow, and nonworking EV chargers along your route,” they added.
“In ‘sweltering’ Georgia heat, your staff’s actions caused a family with an infant child and low charge on their EV battery to call the police out of urgency while waiting at this charging station,” the lawmakers said.
NPR’s Camila Domonoske, who joined the caravan for the ride, shared details on what transpired after the call to police — which was later published by The Washington Free Beacon.
An electric vehicle driver in Georgia admonished Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm's staff for using "literally a non-electric car" to hoard a space for Granholm at a busy public charging station, according to a 911 call. https://t.co/E2iVvZocZ7 pic.twitter.com/TfU6O64sqC
— Washington Free Beacon (@FreeBeacon) September 12, 2023
“The sheriff’s office couldn’t do anything,” Domonoske reported. “It’s not illegal for a non-EV to claim a charging spot in Georgia. Energy Department staff scrambled to smooth over the situation, including sending other vehicles to slower chargers, until both the frustrated family and the secretary had room to charge.”
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Granholm, a former governor of Michigan, acknowledged she had seen the bad press about the debacle while testifying before the House Science and Technology Committee hearing earlier this month.
“Well, I wasn’t saving a spot, but I’ll just say I have a fantastic young staff. … It was poor judgment on the part of the team,” Granholm said, adding, “I can only imagine that they wanted to continue moving, but the bottom line is that it’s not going to happen again.”
Comer and Fallon also raised other issues in their letter, including the Department of Energy’s apparent decision to exclude Tesla and its technology from its roadtrip — which they said prompted questions about “whether the decision was politically motivated.”
The Daily Wire reached out to the Energy Department seeking comment.