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US President Joe <keyword id="60973" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="biden" source="Orion">Biden</keyword> has appointed more than 130 Indian-Americans to key positions in his administration so far, the best representation from the community that makes up around one per cent of the American population. In doing so he has not only fulfilled his promise to the community that he had made as a presidential candidate in 2020, but also shattered the record of his predecessor Donald Trump who had appointed more than 80 Indian-Americans and his previous boss Barack Obama, who had appointed over 60 Indian-Americans to key positions during his eight years of presidency. More than 40 Indian-Americans has been elected at various state and federal levels including four in the US House of Representatives. Not to miss the more than 20 Indian-Americans leading top US companies. While the first-ever presidential appointment was done during the time of Ronald Regan, this time Biden has appointed Indian-Americans to almost all departments and agencies of his administration. "Indian-Americans have been imbued with the sense of seva (service) and this is reflected in their enthusiasm to pursue positions in public service instead of the private sector," Silicon Valley-based entrepreneur, philanthropist and venture capitalist M R Rangaswami told PTI. "The Biden administration has now appointed or nominated the largest group to date and needless to say we are proud of our people and their accomplishments for the United States," Rangaswami said. Rangaswami is founder and head of <keyword id="1530020" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="indiaspora" source="Orion">Indiaspora</keyword>, a US-based global organization for Indian-origin leaders. Indiaspora keeps a track of Indian-origin leaders. Biden, who has maintained a close relationship with the community since his Senator days, often jokes around about his Indian relationship. He made history in 2020 by selecting Indian-origin Kamala Harris as his running mate. The list of Indian-Americans in the White House as compiled by Indiaspora reflects that there would be only a few meetings inside the White House or in Biden's Oval Office that would not have an Indian-American presence. His speech writer is <keyword id="600122" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="vinay-reddy" source="Orion">Vinay Reddy</keyword>, while his main advisor on COVID-19 is Dr Ashish Jha, his advisor on climate policy is <keyword id="35801" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="sonia-aggarwal" source="Orion">Sonia Aggarwal</keyword>, special assistant on criminal justice is Chiraag Bains, Kiran Ahuja heads the Office of Personnel Management, Neera Tanden is his senior advisor, and Rahul Gupta is his drug czar. Last week when India's Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, hosted a reception at India House on the occasion of Independence Day, Indian-Americans from his administration were representing almost all major branches of the US government. <keyword id="14795772" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="young-vedant-patel" source="Orion">Young Vedant Patel</keyword> is now the Deputy Spokesperson at the Department of State, while Garima Verma is the Digital Director in the Office of the First Lady. Biden has also nominated several Indian-Americans to key ambassadorial positions. According to the list prepared by Indiaspora, more than 40 Indian-Americans have been elected to various offices across the country. Four are in the House of Representatives -- Dr Ami Bera, Ro Khanna, Raja Krishnamoorthi and Pramila Jayapal. This includes four Mayors. Led by Indian-Americans Sunder Pichai of Google and <keyword id="276564" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="satya-nadella" source="Orion">Satya Nadella</keyword> of Microsoft, there are over two dozen Indian-Americans heading US companies. Among others include Shantanu Narayen of Adobe, Vivek Lall of General Atomics, Punit Renjen of Deloitte, Raj Subramaniam of FedEx. SEE ALSO : <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/tiruppur-garment-industry-in-crisis-as-a-steep-rise-in-yarn-prices/articleshow/93743444.cms">Tiruppur garment industry in crisis as a steep rise in yarn prices</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/dreamfolks-services-ipo-opens-today-check-out-important-details-related-to-the-ipo/articleshow/93740178.cms">DreamFolks Services IPO opens today — Check out important details related to the IPO</a>

Over 130 Indian-Americans hold key positions in Biden administration, and it's a record

New York, An expert on energy and climate change, <keyword id="35801" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sonia-Aggarwal">Sonia Aggarwal</keyword>, was named on Thursday by President-elect <keyword id="99719" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Joe-Biden">Joe Biden</keyword> as the senior advisor for climate policy and innovation, the latest of several key Indian American nominees for his administration. She led America's Power Plan, bringing together 200 electricity policy experts, at <keyword id="3174443" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Energy-Innovation">Energy Innovation</keyword>, of which she was a co-founder and Vice President, according to the biography from Biden's <keyword id="3872383" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="transition-team">transition team</keyword>. Aggarwal also directed the team that developed the Energy Policy Simulator to analyse the environmental, economic, and public health impacts of climate and energy policies Earlier, she managed global research at ClimateWorks Foundation, "where she worked on the McKinsey carbon abatement cost curves and led research for the American Energy Innovation Council", the biography said. Born and raised in Ohio, Aggarwal has a masters at Stanford University in civil engineering. Indian Americans named to important positions in the administration of Biden, who will take over as President, and <keyword id="180909" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kamala-Harris">Kamala Harris</keyword>, as Vice President next Wednesday, include Neera Tanden, who will be the director of the Office of Management and Budget with cabinet rank, and Vivek Murthy, the Surgeon General, both of whom will have to be confirmed in their positions by the Senate, and Vedant Patel, to be his assistant press secretary, Vinay Reddy to be the director of speechwriting and Gautam Raghavan, to be the deputy director of the Office of Presidential Personnel. Among others are: Atul Gawande and Celine Gounder, members of the COVID-19 task force; Bharat Ramamurti, deputy director of the National Economic Council; Sabrina Singh, deputy press secretary for Harris; Mala Adiga, policy director for Jill Biden, who will become the First Lady, and Maju Varghese, executive director of their inauguration -- the swearing-in ceremony and the festivities around it. At the powerful National Security Council, the nominees are Tarun Chhabra, senior director for technology and national security; Sumona Guha, senior director for South Asia, and Shanthi Kalathil, coordinator for Democracy and Human Rights. (Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed @arulouis) --IANS al/vd

Indian American Sonia Aggarwal to be US President-elect Joe Biden's climate policy adviser

Welcome to <a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/4np/insider-energy">Insider Energy</a>, a weekly <keyword id="6357014" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="energy">energy</keyword> newsletter brought to you by Business Insider. Here's what you need to know:<ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Want to get Insider Energy in your inbox every Friday? <a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/4np/insider-energy">Sign up here</a>. </li><li>Do you have feedback or story tips? Reach out to me at <a href="mailto:bjones@businessinsider.com">bjones@businessinsider.com</a>.</li></ul>You know what was so hot? 2020. In fact, it tied with 2016 as the hottest year on record, <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/2020-tied-for-warmest-year-on-record-nasa-analysis-shows">according to NASA</a>. Sigh. That was big news this week, as was a mass-retreat from corporate political donations, following the attack on The Capitol incited by President Donald Trump. ConocoPhillips and BP said they're suspending PAC donations for the first half of the year, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/01/12/energy-202-oil-companies-reconsider-political-spending-after-attack-capitol/">The Washington Post reported</a>. Marathon Petroleum, the largest US refiner, and Occidental Petroleum will also temporarily ban contributions. <a href="https://corporate.exxonmobil.com/News/Newsroom/News-releases/Statements/Statement-on-PAC-contributions">Exxon</a> and Chevron didn't go so far and said their PACs are under review. Of course, that doesn't mean the industry is aligning with President-elect Joe Biden's priorities … <div type="image" title="Oil jack rigs california" height="2331" width="3500" msid="80292475" hostid="261"></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Big Oil promises to put up a fight if Biden tries to restrict fossil-fuel development </h2>This week, the head of the American Petroleum Institute - the most powerful oil and gas trade group - said his industry is prepared to fight policies Biden has proposed that could restrict fossil-fuel producers, <a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/14012021/american-petroleum-institute-biden-tax-drilling-policy/">per Inside Climate News</a>. Those include:<ul style="text-align: left;"><li>A ban on new leasing or permitting for oil and gas projects on federal lands. </li><li>The elimination of tax credits that support the fossil-fuel sector. </li><li>Funding for electric vehicles and charging infrastructure. </li></ul>His words: "The surest way to bring recovery to a stop is to remove affordable energy from the picture - with more regulations, more taxes, more restrictions on access," API president and CEO Mike Sommers said at the group's State of American Energy event Wednesday. "If lawmakers curtail resource development and energy prices spike, it's working people and consumers who will suffer."<ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Biden has proposed a plan to build out clean-energy infrastructure that he said will create jobs and help curb climate change. </li><li>It's worth noting that renewable energy is <a href="https://www.irena.org/newsroom/pressreleases/2020/Jun/Renewables-Increasingly-Beat-Even-Cheapest-Coal-Competitors-on-Cost">increasingly the cheapest source of new power</a>. </li></ul>But remember: Biden doesn't have much latitude to enact restrictive policies anyway, even though Democrats will control the Senate. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-a-democratic-senate-will-shape-the-future-energy-economy-2021-1">We explain what he can and can't do here</a>. <ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Plus, oil and gas firms thought ahead and have been stockpiling drilling permits on federal lands, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-climate-wyoming-coronavirus-pandemic-a917f51126fa2641e0713573424b2b11">AP reports</a>, so any kind of ban on federal lands would be largely symbolic.</li><li>"The permit stockpiling has centered on oil-rich federal lands in New Mexico and Wyoming," per AP. </li></ul>In other news: Total withdrew from the API Friday, after what it called a "detailed analysis" of the group's climate positions. It's the first major oil company to do so. <div type="image" title="Janet McCabe" height="2661" width="3548" msid="80292482" hostid="261"></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Meanwhile, Biden just beefed up his climate team</h2>Joe Biden's climate and energy team continues to grow, with more announcements this week. At the White House office of domestic climate policy … <ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Sonia Aggarwal was selected as senior advisor for climate policy and innovation. She's a cofounder of the think tank Energy Innovation and served as VP there prior to her appointment.</li><li>David Hayes will be the special assistant to the president for climate policy. Hayes is an adjunct professor at the NYU School of Law, and was deputy secretary of the Interior Department under former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. </li><li>Maggie Thomas was appointed as chief of staff. She serves on Biden's transition team and previously served as climate policy advisor to Senator Elizabeth Warren and deputy climate director to Governor Jay Inslee of Washington state.</li><li>Finally, Jahi Wise will be senior advisor for climate policy and finance. He previously served as the policy director for the Coalition for Green Capital, a nonprofit that aims to drive investment towards <keyword id="154273" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="clean-energy">clean energy</keyword>. </li></ul>At the Environmental Protection Agency … <ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Janet McCabe will fill the big role of deputy administrator. McCabe is a professor of environmental law at Indiana University McKinney School of Law and leads IU's Environmental Resilience Institute. She's also an EPA alum. </li></ul>At the Council on Environmental Quality …<ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Cecilia Martinez, Ph.D. will be the senior director for environmental justice. Martinez serves on Biden's transition team and is cofounder and executive director at the Center for Earth, Energy, and Democracy. </li></ul>At the Presidential Personnel Office ... <ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Jeff Marootian was tapped to be special assistant to the president for climate and science agency personnel. An Obama administration alum, Marootian is director of DC's Department of Transportation and serves on Biden's transition team.</li></ul><div type="image" title="Rooftop solar panel installation" height="2000" width="3000" msid="80292490" hostid="261"></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">2020 by the numbers </h2>Results are in. 2020 was a bad year (with a few things for climate-tech folks to celebrate.) 1.84: How much warmer 2020 was, on average, compared to the baseline temperature in 1951-1980, in Fahrenheit, <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/2020-tied-for-warmest-year-on-record-nasa-analysis-shows">according to NASA</a>. 2020 tied with 2016 for the warmest year on record, the agency said.10.3: Estimated percent decline in US greenhouse gas emissions last year, which amounts to "the single largest drop in annual emissions in the post-World War II era," according to Rhodium Group. The pandemic is largely responsible for the dip. 112: The number of oil companies that filed for bankruptcy protection, including producers, oilfield service firms, and midstream companies, according to Haynes and Boone. 237: The number of companies that went public via SPAC, more than four times as many as in 2019, <a href="https://cleanedge.com/views/Q4-2020-REVIEW">per Clean Edge</a>. Two dozen or so were cleantech firms, the firm said. 15 were EV-related, according to Raymond James.429,300: The number of clean-energy workers who lost their jobs, according to an analysis by BW Research Partnership. The oil industry is expected to report similarly high numbers. $16.4 billion: Venture capital poured into climate technologies, a record, according to <a href="https://www.axios.com/vc-investments-climate-change-c57f6f3e-0644-4c8f-80fb-b700a641230d.html">PitchBook data published by Axios</a>. <div type="image" title="Oil prices" height="972" width="1646" msid="80292492" hostid="261"></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Major Wall Street banks revised their oil forecasts as prices soar</h2>JPMorgan is among the major banks to revise their outlook for oil prices, which were hammered as the pandemic dried up demand for gasoline and jet fuel. On Wednesday the bank moved forward its price forecast by six months. What to expect: JPMorgan now thinks Brent crude, the international benchmark, will breach $60 a barrel in the second quarter and average as high as $68 - about where it was at the start of last year - towards the end of 2021. <ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Bank of America said something similar this week: "A trend following rally to $67 can't be ruled out."</li></ul>Industry impact: It's good, obviously - and it's one reason why Wall Street <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-13/wall-street-warms-to-exxon-as-oil-rally-supports-shaky-dividend">appears to be warming back up to Exxon</a>. <ul style="text-align: left;"><li>"JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co. on Wednesday joined Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Well Fargo &amp; Co. in upgrading Exxon to 'buy' in recent weeks," <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-13/wall-street-warms-to-exxon-as-oil-rally-supports-shaky-dividend">reports Bloomberg's Kevin Crowley</a>. </li><li>Still, US producers are unlikely to ramp up production much because they're under pressure to reign in spending, JPMorgan analysts said. </li></ul>In other Exxon news: The SEC has launched an investigation into Exxon after an employee filed a whistleblower complaint that the company overvalued an important asset in the Permian Basin, the top US shale field, the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/exxon-draws-sec-probe-over-permian-basin-asset-valuation-11610716622">Wall Street Journal reported</a>. <h2 style="text-align: left;">3 other big stories this week </h2><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Oil major Equinor <a href="https://www.equinor.com/en/news/202101-us-offshore-wind.html">won a contract</a> to supply offshore wind energy to New York state. It's the largest renewable energy deal for a US state.</li><li>Electric-bus maker Proterra <a href="https://www.proterra.com/press-release/proterra-commercial-electric-vehicle-technology-leader-to-become-publicly-listed-through-transaction-with-arclight-clean-transition-corp/">announced</a> it's going public via SPAC. </li><li>Chevron made an investment in Blue Planet, a startup focused on carbon capture and utilization. </li></ul>That's it! Have a great MLK-day weekend. - Benji

Big Oil promises to put up a fight if Biden tries to restrict fossil-fuel development

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Over 130 Indian-Americans hold key positions in Biden administration, and it's a record

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Indian American Sonia Aggarwal to be US President-elect Joe Biden's climate policy adviser

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Big Oil promises to put up a fight if Biden tries to restrict fossil-fuel development

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