Readout of Energy Secretary Granholm's Meeting with New England Governors

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Today, Secretary Granholm held a virtual meeting with New England Governors representing Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The meeting follows the Department of Energy's request to meet with Governors in response to their late July letter. International events have had an outsized impact on domestic energy markets, resulting in significantly lower product inventories and higher prices than previous years. The purpose of the meeting was to strengthen partnerships and increase collaboration on developing solutions to achieve our shared commitment to do everything possible to mitigate and avoid unanticipated energy disruptions. 

The Secretary reiterated that the Biden administration is committed to improving how the federal government works with states to develop solutions and engage necessary stakeholders to ensure American’s fuel and electricity needs are met in an affordable way. Already, the Administration has called on Congress to increase LIHEAP funding, which is a key lifeline to keeping many American households safe and warm during the winter season. Additionally, the Secretary underscored the concern about the low levels of privately-held refined product inventories in key regions, including New England, and its ask of oil and gas companies to ensure they are building adequate inventories to handle disruptions from hurricanes or other events. 

Given the critical importance of regional coordination to ensure appropriate preparedness and response, the Secretary thanked the governors for their unified approach to meeting New Englanders energy needs and reinforced that the administration will continue to enhance its partnership with states to navigate the various risks to energy and electricity reliability and affordability in the coming weeks and months.