Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm testifies at her confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on Capitol Hill January 27, 2021 in Washington, D.C. Granholm was governor of Michigan from 2003-2011. (Photo by Graeme Jennings-Pool/Getty Images/TNS)

WASHINGTON — The leader of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee requested details this week of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm’s frequent travel to Puerto Rico.

Granholm, a former Michigan governor, has taken four trips to the island territory in the last five months as it aims to shore up its fragile power grid.

“The frequency and duration of these trips raise concerns regarding your attention to your other duties, particularly in light of climbing energy costs and intensifying threats to the United States’ energy independence,” Committee Chair Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., wrote Tuesday in a letter addressed to Granholm.

“We understand the importance of stabilizing and modernizing Puerto Rico’s electric grid but question whether your frequent and extended presence is critical to these activities.”

Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., who chairs the panel’s subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, also signed the letter.

The members noted that Granholm made two weeklong trips to Puerto Rico in February and March in addition to two visits in October and November last year. They asked for itemized expenses, staff lists and itineraries for official travel since Granholm was sworn in as President Joe Biden’s energy secretary in February 2021.

They also wrote that Granholm has taken trips to France, Australia, Mexico and Singapore — trips that included International Energy Agency Ministerial, the Sydney Energy Forum, meetings with senior Mexican officials, and the U.S.-Southeast Asia Clean Energy Roundtable, respectively.

A GOP press release announcing the probe called it an inquiry into her “frequent international travel” in the headline and mentioned Puerto Rico first. Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory.

“Despite the suggestion, the Secretary’s work on the island is not international travel — Puerto Rico is part of the United States; the residents who have suffered for too long without reliable power are not foreign nationals — they are American citizens,” DOE spokesperson Charisma Troiano said in a statement.

A hurricane hit Puerto Rico last September, leaving some residents of the island without power for more than two weeks. It has struggled with power outages since Hurricane Maria in 2017, which knocked out power for months and pushed local officials to privatize the grid.

Power outages have become lengthier since the takeover as rates have increased. September’s Hurricane Fiona further hurt the nation’s power line network.

Biden asked Granholm to lead the U.S. government’s efforts to improve Puerto Rico’s grid following the September hurricane. Congress appropriated $1 billion for the effort, Troiano said.

“Since receiving that assignment, Secretary Granholm has heard from residents first-hand, visited critical infrastructure, worked to cut through bureaucratic delays, and coordinate activities between federal, territorial, and local stakeholders during her visits,” Troiano said. “The Secretary’s highest priority is helping ensure all Americans everywhere gain access to clean, reliable, and affordable power, and Puerto Ricans are no exception.”

During her most recent trip to Puerto Rico, Granholm held several “townhall-style events” to hear from residents and update them on the agency’s work and announced a clean energy jobs fellowship.

The Department of Energy did not provide cost estimates for the trips cited in the letter.

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