Fifty years after its inception, the IEA’s position on the energy transition has put it in the middle of an acrimonious dispute. On 20 March, senior US Republicans wrote to the IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol alleging that an “excessive focus” on the energy transition has led it to veer away from its core energy security mission.
The letter, signed by John Barrasso, ranking member of the US Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers, chair of the US House Committee on Energy and Commerce, noted that “Sadly, French President Macron’s recent observation that the IEA has become the ‘armed wing for implementing the Paris Agreement’ is true.” President Macron’s comments came during the IEA’s 2024 Ministerial Meeting which marked the 50th anniversary of its founding. (CONTINUED - 212 WORDS)