911 Call Involving Biden Official Released
The Department of Energy caused a chaotic scene while clogging electric vehicle (EV) chargers with a gas-powered car at a Georgia Walmart in June, according to a recording of a 911 call obtained by Fox News Digital.
The incident occurred while Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and her staff were on a four-day EV road trip from North Carolina to Tennessee, which was organized by her office to "draw attention to the billions of dollars the White House is pouring into green energy and clean cars," according to a report from NPR which joined Granholm on the trip.
The chaos erupted when Energy Department staffers used a car with an internal combustion engine to block off an EV charger for Granholm outside the Walmart in Grovetown, leaving other EV owners waiting for a charge.
One family, angered at having to wait to use a charger, eventually called 911 to report the incident.
"I'm calling because I'm in the Grovetown Walmart at the charging station and there's literally a non-electric car that is taking up a space and said they're holding the space for somebody else," the woman who made the 911 call told the dispatcher.
A police officer eventually responded to the incident, but no police report was filed.
The incident serves as a reminder of the logistical issues that continue to face zero-emissions cars, which the Biden administration is aggressively pushing.
They have proposed the most aggressive tailpipe emissions ever crafted and issued fuel economy standards that forces automakers to substantially increase fuel efficiency in new cars. They have also set a goal for 50% of all new car sales to be electric by 2030.
However, gas-powered cars represent 93% of all new car sales and EVs remain far more expensive and less efficient than alternatives. The average cost of an EV was $64,338 while the average cost of a compact gas-powered car was $26,101 as of last year, according to Kelley Blue Book. In addition, the Department of Energy reported that the average range of model year 2021 gasoline vehicles was 403 miles compared to the median 234-mile range of model year 2021 EVs.
Despite the logistical challenges, however, a Department of Energy spokesperson said that the White House has made a "historic investment" of over $7 billion to build out convenient and reliable EV charging infrastructure, part of which has already been awarded to every state, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
"Now, with President Biden’s historic Investing in America agenda...The private sector is following suit with equally ambitious investments – growing our workforce and keeping money in the pockets of hardworking Americans," the spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
But Republican senator Joni Ernst said during a GOP leadership press conference Tuesday that the incident showed the Biden administration's green push is "unreliable, absurd, and fully dependent on China."
"Let’s call it what it is – a road to nowhere," she said.