The U.S. needs a Tom Ridge of Climate

This week was a very good week for Americans wanting to see action from President Biden in our quest to create a true clean energy economy in the US, with announcements on tariff relief for solar panel imports while the Defense Production Act works to create a domestic supply chain in crucial clean technologies. Yet in this era of high inflation, high gas prices, war in Ukraine, and covid concerns, the real inconvenient truth is that climate change is taking a back seat in public discussion to these issues at the worst time possible. Therefore, it is time for the Biden Administration to take their sustainability initiatives to the next level: It is time to create a cabinet level Secretary of Climate Security. 

Taking on climate change is a war against time that we have lost precious ground on. A cabinet level secretary, whose small-but-effective office would solely be put in place to execute on tactics needed to move the President’s climate agenda forward, is the right solution. We have precedence.

On September 20th, 2001 I was driving a rental car from Columbus Ohio to give a speech at my alma mater, Bowling Green. On the radio I listened intently to President Bush’s speech to a joint session of Congress on our plans to respond to the September 11th attacks. Having lived in Brooklyn and literally having flown over ground zero just hours prior, I recalled a confirming pride when I heard the President was not only creating an Office of Homeland Security, but his appointment of then Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge deserved the standing ovation it garnered. In theory, the office (now Department) of Homeland Security should have never been needed in the first place. But the siloed barriers of communication between vital intelligence agencies and federal to local ground personnel commanded the immediacy of a barrier breaker. And the result has largely been successful in keeping foreign terrorist activity at bay within the U.S.

When evaluating the touchpoints on climate within the context of the U.S. Government, we see that the Departments of Energy, Commerce, Agriculture, Defense, and State all play a crucial role. Each Department would appoint an Undersecretary to the new Department of Climate Security (DCS) that would coordinate and prioritize each vision. The work that the Department of Energy under Secretary Granholm has been doing in this administration has been truly a catalyst to move climate solutions forward. And they have worked in lockstep with other departments. But having another voice in the administration would act as an accelerant to these policy executions. 

In February 2022, the DoE issued a comprehensive report to secure America’s supply chain for clean energy manufacturing. As mentioned President Biden invoking the Defense Production Act to accelerate domestic production of the clean energy supply chain is the classic example of inter-departmental coordination. It needs to continue further, and quickly. The crisis in Ukraine will lead to food inflation and scarcity that hasn’t been seen globally since World War 2. Meanwhile changing weather patterns is impacting farmers production capacity and scheduling in the US. A DCS could further promote bi-partisan initiatives to use all the great innovations in AgTech that Department of Agriculture is leading. Building a better transmission grid can get green power generation in the Southwest to other parts of the country with less generation, including exporting excess power to our neighboring countries. DCS, with the State Department, can make that happen faster.  

At the COP26 Summit in Scotland, President Biden laid out an ambitious plan to curb fossil fuel emissions in order to meet global climate targets of 1.5 degree temperature increase limits by 2050. The more delays there are in rolling out green power and policy now, the harder it is going to be for us to achieve these goals. All of the essential tools needed to get there actually benefits more than just the global climate – it benefits the US economy and people’s quality of life. Companies that make products in traditional industries can diversify their customer base by selling into the green supply chain – thus sustaining economic growth. Cleaning the atmosphere in dense urban populations means healthier lives for all minority populations, which means a stronger healthcare system. But strong vocal leadership is essential to get there. 

President Biden needs to pick the right person to execute on this ambitious role. Secretary Granholm (pictured above) could assume this role given her incredible leadership track record. Other names that immediately come to mind are former Colorado Governor Hickenlooper and current Washington State Governor Inslee, both who ran for president with climate agendas. But given this is a long term initiative, having a Generation X leader taking over the mantel of leadership would create some needed generational transition. Governor Whitmer of Michigan, and Senator Booker of New Jersey have the right executive traits. DoE Deputy Secretary David Turk and former FERC chair Neil Chatterjee also have excellent and appropriate backgrounds.

Tackling climate change should not take a backseat to the issues of the day that are impacting all Americans. In fact, tackling climate change should be justifiably interwoven into the myriad of solutions to each of these crises. Having a Secretary of Climate Security is a powerful solution. President Biden should not waste a moment. 

Eric Planey is currently CEO of SolaBlock, a Western Massachusetts clean and construction technology start-up, and he is co-host of The Pirates of Cleantech podcast.