The bipartisan infrastructure bill provides $3 billion in grants to support electric vehicle battery technology development. A bipartisan group of senators is calling for a Commerce Department investigation into solar companies. A vulnerable Democratic senator claims she is pressing the Biden administration to lower gas prices.
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Officials announce $3B investment in EV battery manufacturing
Monday’s announcement from the Department of Energy included a $3.16 billion grant program for domestic manufacturing of electric vehicles batteries.
The bipartisan infrastructure law provides funding to support research that predicts increased demand for lithium ion batteries and electric vehicles. The Federal Consortium for Advanced Batteries has found that the lithium battery market will increase by a factor 5-10 in the next 10 years.
They’re saying this: Positioning the United States front and center in meeting the growing demand for advanced batteries is how we boost our competitiveness and electrify our transportation system, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said in a statement.
President Bidens historic investment in battery production and recycling will give our domestic supply chain the jolt it needs to become more secure and less reliant on other nations strengthening our clean energy economy, creating good paying jobs, and decarbonizing the transportation sector, she said.
The announcement comes the month after President Biden invoked the Defense Production Act to step up mining of rare earth metals used in the production of batteries, and Brian Deese, director of the White House Economic Council, described that action as complementary support to the grant program on a press call Monday.
Background: As gas prices rise, the Biden administration has pushed for greater adoption of electric vehicles and infrastructure. It also aims to reduce carbon emissions up to half a percent by the end the decade.
The administration has used the Russian invasion in Ukraine as an opportunity to create jobs and reduce Russian President Vladimir Putin’s influence over international energy supplies.
Today’s announcement of more than $3 billion will ensure that the United States remains the world’s leader in battery manufacturing. It will also be a leader in developing advanced battery technologies. We will also be able to secure the supply chain so that we are less susceptible to global supply disruptions. This will make the industry more sustainable by recycling materials and using cleaner manufacturing methods, Gina McCarthy, White House climate adviser, said during the call.
Learn more about the announcement.
Senators call on Biden to complete the probe into solar power
Senators from both parties are calling for President Biden’s immediate conclusion to an investigation into solar panel imports.
The Commerce Department announced in March that they would investigate solar panel components made in Thailand and Vietnam. This investigation was to determine if these components were used by Chinese companies in an attempt to bypass tariffs. A petition by Auxin Solar, a California-based solar manufacturer, prompted the investigation.
Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), senators note projections by the solar industry that the investigation could cost jobs as well as reduce U.S. solar capacity. The Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA), the primary solar trade group, has already reduced its installation projections by half in response to the probe.
What is at stake? SEIA President and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper said in a statement last week that if tariffs are imposed, 100,000 American solar jobs could be instantly lost, and it would dash Bidens clean energy efforts.
The Monday letter states that the investigation has already caused major disruption in the solar industry and will continue to do so.
We urge your administration to quickly review the case, and to make a prompt preliminary determination. It should consider all the policy implications and reject retroactivity requests from petitioners.
Rosen and other senators have raised concerns about the probes potential economic impact and its potential detriment for the Biden administrations renewable energy targets.
Find out more about the letter.
In a new ad, Hassan pushes Biden to raise gas prices
Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan (N.H.), who is facing a tough reelection fight in November, is running an ad on efforts to combat high gasoline prices.
In the 30-second spot, the lawmaker touts her own effort on the issue and makes a point to say she is pushing her own party, including President Biden, to act.
I am asking members of my own party for a gas tax holiday. I am also pushing Joe Biden for more oil reserves to be released. This is how we reduce costs and get through these times, says the senator.
The ad, Hassans’ first of 2022, shows how Democrats see the issue gasoline prices as a matter of increasing importance before the midterms.
It follows efforts by Hassan and other vulnerable Democrats like Sen. Mark Kelly (Ariz.) to push a suspension of the federal gasoline tax something thats unlikely to succeed amid skepticism from members of both parties.
Other vulnerable Democrats are also leaning into the issue, with Rep. Sharice Davids (D-Kan.) also targeting a Republican challenger over opposition to the gas tax pause.
The Democratic leadership is taking a different approach to the issue. Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said last week that they will push legislation to expand the powers of the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general to probe high prices.
Find out more about the ad.
BIPARTISAN LANWAKERS GATHER FOR ADDITIONAL CLIMATE TALKS
Monday’s meeting of bipartisan senators is the second on climate change. It was organized by Sens. Joe Manchin (D.W.Va.) & Lisa Murkowski (R.Alaska), for bipartisan action.
Sens. were among the Democrats that were spotted at this meeting. Mark Warner (Va.), Brian Schatz(Hawaii), Chris Coons, (Del.), Tom Carper (Del.) Mark Kelly (Ariz.), as well as Rep. Ro Khanna, (D-Calif.). Sens. Mitt Romney (Utah), Bill Cassidy (La.), Dan Sullivan (Alaska) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) were spotted.
According to Molly Block, another Republican, Sen. Kevin Cramer, (N.D.), was not present in Washington Monday.
Asked what policies Sullivan would like to see, Sullivan spokesperson Mike Reynard directed The Hill to a plan by the senator, Cramer and Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) that would promote natural gas and oil as well as nuclear energies.
Nuclear is a clean power source that produces no carbon, while oil and natural gas still cause global warming.
The plan calls for an increase in carbon capture and storage technologies. This is to prevent greenhouse gasses from entering the atmosphere.
Meanwhile, a source close to Manchin told The Washington Post that wind energy tax credits may also be an option that could get significant bipartisan support.
The meeting comes after a bipartisan group of lawmakers also met last week in what was described as an an effort to gauge bipartisan interest in addressing the countrys climate and energy security needs.
That meeting, however, was met with some skepticism on both the left and right.
WHAT WE’RE READING
- E.U. E.U. close to a deal regarding Russian oil phaseout; Hungary and Slovakia object. (The Washington Post).
- According to Las Vegas police, the body found in a Lake Mead barrel could have been from the 1980s. As water recedes, it is more likely to be there.
- Rob Bilott, a 20-year-old fighter against forever chemicals (The Guardian), discusses a global public health risk.
- A Black Woman Fights for Her Community and Her Life in a World of Polluting Landfills and Vast Borrow Pits for Sand and Clay (Inside Climate News).
- Is Gina McCarthy really an expert on climate rules? (E&E News)
And last but not least, something offbeat or offbeat: The White House Correspondents Dinner is back.
That’s all for today. Thank you for reading. Check out The Hills Energy & Environment page for the latest news and coverage. We hope to see you again tomorrow.
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