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Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm supports the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a natural gas project in Appalachia that would provide clean energy “where there’s huge demand for power”—and she defended her position at POLITICO’s energy summit in Washington last week, according to POLITICO (subscription).

What’s going on: “Granholm endorsed the pipeline in a recent letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,” POLITICO reports.

• At the event, she followed it up by saying, “We know that there is a real desire to have energy security in areas where there’s huge demand for power. We also know that we have got to accelerate investment in clean [energy].”

Why it’s important: Granholm’s support for the pipeline and her comments—which were disrupted by protestors who ran toward the stage shouting their opposition—“underscore the Biden administration’s balancing act in meeting its goals of ending carbon pollution from fossil fuels while acknowledging the continued role of the oil and gas industry in the economy.”

Helping allies: The U.S. has large supplies of natural gas, Granholm told the audience, and it “is going to be ‘a friend’ to its allies,” many of whom have moved away from Russian gas in response to that country’s invasion of Ukraine last year.

The last word: “The NAM supports an all-of-the-above energy approach, including traditional fuels, such as U.S. natural gas,” said NAM Vice President of Energy and Resources Policy Brandon Farris.

• “The proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline is a critical part of our energy future as natural-gas production strengthens energy access for manufacturers while generating billions of dollars in new investments, benefiting local communities and creating well-paying jobs.”
• “The NAM recently hosted Department of Energy Assistant Secretary of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management Brad Crabtree for a NAM-member briefing on manufacturer priorities and followed up by reaffirming the NAM’s support of U.S. natural gas production and exports.”