Energy Secretary Visits Oklahoma

University of Oklahoma President Joseph Harroz recently hosted a roundtable discussion with U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff and tribal leaders on a new clean energy source that Oklahoma should utilize.

“We are thrilled to discuss the power and potential of geothermal energy and the impact it can have on all of the planet, but certainly for and among our indigenous nations for whom we are home for so many,” says President Harroz.

Geothermal energy is a renewable energy source produced within the earth's core by drilling wells that are typically two miles deep. When water is piped through them, electricity is generated. 

“The geothermal industry has massive potential, and it has potential to become a powerhouse, not only of the United States growth, but particular benefits for rural and hard to reach communities, including tribal nations,” says Emhoff.

The Second Gentleman and Secretary Granholm visited Norman as part of President Joe Biden’s “Investing in America Tour."

The tour included visits to both research campuses at The University of Oklahoma and at Oklahoma State University.

“This is a really exciting conversation for us because of the respect that this administration has, but also the potential that lies in the, the nations, the, the, the territory of, of tribal nations for clean energy. And I’m very excited about this particular topic. I'm excited about a broad array of clean energy topics,” says Secretary Granholm.

Tribal leaders attending the roundtable, which was closed to the media, included members of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, the Chickasaw Nation, the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, and the Muscogee-Creek Nation. We reached out to the tribes for comments but did not receive a response. hHwever, Emhoff says their participation is vital. 

“Native communities across the United States are on the front lines of the climate crisis and often struggle to access affordable and reliable energy through the Inflation Reduction Act,” says Emhoff.

The Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law by President Biden last august provides $720 million dollars to help tribal lands and native communities improve access to affordable electricity, and a reliable geo-thermal power source could be the answer. 

“The capacity, and this is a conservative estimate, is that it could power 65 million homes 44 times the amount of homes here in Oklahoma,” says Secretary Granholm.

The energy secretary's tour of Oklahoma included a stop in Stillwater to announce a $19 million dollar grant to the new "Great Plains Center of Excellence", which will operate within the already existing OSU industrial assessment center.   

“And the thing that is so important is that it does give students this hands-on ability to see technology and action, to see how to reduce carbon emissions, price of energy, reduce energy use on site,” says Secretary Granholm.

Granholm says OSU’s assessment center is one of the five best in the nation. The $19 million dollars is earmarked to fund research to reduce energy waste and cut costs. 

“On average, because the great training that is being done there, they, the businesses save about $130,000 a year, and the assessments are for free. So, that's number one is that Oklahoma State has become a center of excellence for the entire great plains region,” says Secretary Granholm.

Governor Kevin Stitt was also on hand to welcome the Biden administration, and tout Oklahoma’s self-reliance on all forms of energy.  

“We're so proud of our oil and gas industry and what most people don't realize is we're also number two in the country in wind energy. We produce about 65% more energy than we consume. We're a net exporter of that energy,” says Gov. Stitt.

“We want all these products made in America, stamped made in America, used here and exported elsewhere. We want all that wind that the governor was talking about, all those turbines. We want a made in America, we want all the pieces the supply chains made in America,” says Secretary Granholm.

In addition to the multimillion-dollar funding for OSU's Great Plains Center of Excellence, the U.S. Department of Agriculture also awarded the Pawnee Nation a two-million-dollar grant to fund a pilot program to produce renewable energy.

“This initiative, which is all about investing in America, is one piece of a grand strategy for us as a country to be able to get back the manufacturing jobs that we have lost over the past couple of decades,” says Secretary Granholm.

The administration's goal is to achieve 100% carbon-free electricity by 2035 and a net-zero emissions economy by 2050, with 40% of the federal investment benefits going to disadvantaged communities across the us. 

“You could see the passion of the instructors, many who came back from the private sector so they could do research and, and share this passion not only for science, but for, for changing the world,” says Emhoff.