American Clean Power Association names Washington think tank veteran as CEO

Jason Grumet will take the industry body’s top role from 23 January 2023, replacing JC Sandberg, who had stood as interim CEO after Heather Zichal left the industry body for banking giant JPMorgan Chase.

Grumet Founded the National Commission on Energy Policy in 2001 and the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) in 2007. He is currently director of the BPC.

He received unanimous approval from the ACP’s board of directors.

Grumet is due to join the ACP at a time when analysts believe the divided US government makes major federal energy reform unlikely.

“My life’s work has been about two things: Developing real climate solutions and building durable bipartisan policy,” Grumet said. 

“The opportunity ACP has presented to join these two commitments is exciting and compelling.”

The ACP was formed two years ago as a union of the US’s separate wind, solar and storage groups.

Since then, US president Joe Biden signed into law renewables-boosting legislation including the bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. The government has also become divided by the 2022 mid-term elections, with Democrats winning a razor-thin majority in the Senate, and Republicans holding a narrow majority in the House of Representatives.

“There has never been a more dynamic moment for US and global energy policy,” Grumet added.  

“The imperative to simultaneously grow and decarbonise our economy while strengthening national security is the defining challenge of the next 30 years.”