I took an electric vehicle road trip recently through Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas to check out the new notches in the Southeast battery belt.
July 12, 2023
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I took an electric vehicle road trip recently through Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas to check out the new notches in the Southeast battery belt. As the former governor of Michigan, birthplace of the U.S. auto industry and its electric vehicle renaissance, I’m encouraged to see the next generation of American-made autos growing so rapidly, bringing manufacturing jobs to all parts of the country.
I assumed there might be some skepticism of clean energy in the South. If there is, I didn’t see it — Americans of all stripes want to land the industries, jobs and opportunities of the future in their communities. That’s what President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is delivering, and this is only the beginning.
The cornerstone of that agenda is a suite of generous federal tax credits making the U.S. an irresistible destination for companies to manufacture electric vehicles, batteries, semiconductors, solar panels, and other clean energy technologies — American products made on American soil with American workers. And they’re turning industrial hubs across the Southeast into supermagnets for new investment.
Georgia is Exhibit A of this manufacturing resurgence. Since the President took office, companies have planned $32 billion in electric vehicle, battery and clean energy supply chain investments in the Peach State. In Dalton, QCells is building America’s first-ever fully integrated solar supply chain — creating 2,500 jobs. In Bryan County, Hyundai broke ground on its very first U.S. electric vehicle and battery plant — creating more than 8,000 jobs. And things are just getting started.
Read the rest of this Op-Ed in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jennifer M. Granholm
Former Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy
Jennifer M. Granholm was sworn in as the 16th Secretary of Energy on February 25, 2021.
Secretary Granholm led DOE's work to advance the cutting-edge clean energy technologies that helped America achieve President Biden’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 while creating millions of good-paying union clean energy jobs and building an equitable economy. Secretary Granholm also oversaw DOE’s core missions of promoting American leadership in scientific discovery, maintaining the nuclear deterrent and reducing nuclear danger, and remediating the environmental harms caused by legacy defense programs.
Prior to her nomination as Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm was elected Governor of Michigan, serving two terms from 2003 to 2011.
After two terms as governor, Jennifer Granholm joined the faculty of the University of California, Berkeley as a Distinguished Professor of Practice in the Goldman School of Public Policy, focusing on the intersection of law, clean energy, manufacturing, policy, and industry.
Secretary Granholm is an honors graduate of both the University of California, Berkeley and Harvard Law School. She and her husband, Daniel G. Mulhern, have three children.
Departmental Initiatives
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There is no greater challenge facing our nation and our planet than the climate crisis. -
Revitalize the U.S. energy and manufacturing sectors and create millions of good-paying union jobs. -
The clean energy revolution must make sure those who have suffered the most are the first to benefit.