Report: Biden’s clean energy investments turn Michigan into ‘manufacturing powerhouse’

Legislation signed by President Joe Biden has led to at least $21.5 billion in clean energy projects announced in Michigan—which are set to create more than 20,000 jobs. 

MICHIGAN—A recent report from Climate Power shows that at least 45 new clean energy projects have been announced or moved forward in Michigan since the passage of President Joe Biden’s clean energy plan—marking more new projects than any other state in the nation.

According to the report, those new clean energy projects have spurred at least $21.5 billion in investment and created or moved forward more than 20,000 new clean energy jobs in Michigan, which Climate Power bills as a “solar and electric vehicle battery manufacturing powerhouse.”

US Energy Secretary (and former Michigan Gov.) Jennifer Granholm offered a similar take last week in Lansing, where she touted the Biden administration’s investments in clean energy.

@gandernewsroom

Since President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, automotive manufacturers have announced plans to open at least 42 new factories in Michigan—most of which are to support electric vehicle production, said US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. “Manufacturing creates a strong nation and the president believes that,” she said.

♬ original sound – The Gander

“It’s amazing that policy actually works,” Granholm said. “And it’s not just in Michigan. I must tell you this is happening all across the country. We’re seeing investments as a result of the incentives that are in these bills. The president is committed to creating jobs right from the bottom up and the middle out. And he’s doing that in every state in the country.”

Among the biggest clean energy projects announced in Michigan over the last two years:

• The planned $3.5 billion Blue Oval Battery Park in Marshall, with 1,700 jobs; 
• Ultium Cells’ upcoming $2.6 billion battery plant in Delta Township, with 3,200 new jobs—hundreds of which have already been filled following a widely attended job fair, and;
• Gotion’s planned $2.4 billion gigafactory in Big Rapids, with 2,350 new jobs. 

Here’s the deal:

The Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law marked the largest-ever investments (by any country ever) in clean energy jobs and manufacturing.

And according to Climate Power, Biden’s clean energy plan is working in Michigan—particularly in low-income and rural communities, where at least 21 clean energy projects have been announced. These projects will see more than $11 billion invested in Michigan communities and are set to create (or have already created) nearly 13,000 new jobs.

United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain has also said those federal investments are about more than just creating job opportunities. Last week, he said that workers want to grow in their jobs, feel like they’re making a difference, and play a role in helping to “solve the climate crisis.”

@gandernewsroom

Workers want more than a paycheck when they join the United Auto Workers (UAW) union. They want to grow in their jobs. They want to feel like they’re making a difference. And they want to help solve the climate crisis—not make it worse, said UAW President Shawn Fain.

♬ original sound – The Gander

“Of course, none of this happens without leadership,” Fain said. “That starts at the top with our president, Joe Biden, the most pro-union, pro-worker president in our nation’s history.”

Other clean energy projects recently announced in Michigan include: 

• Our Next Energy’s new $1.6 billion factory in Van Buren Township, with 2,100 jobs and where thousands of batteries are already being produced for the automotive industry;
• General Motors’ planned $200 million facility in Auburn Hills, with 1,000 jobs, which is set to be housed inside the former (and soon-to-be renovated) Palace of Auburn Hills;
• Shyft Group’s planned $16 million expansion in Charlotte, with 680 new jobs, most of which will be focused on the production of all-electric commercial delivery vans;
• Fortescue Metals upcoming $35 million manufacturing center and engineering workspace in Detroit, with 600 jobs, where officials expect to begin production of automotive batteries, fast chargers, and other EV components in 2025;
• and four separate manufacturing expansion projects from Magna that are set to create another 1,700 new jobs in Auburn Hills, Detroit, Shelby Township, and St. Clair.

‘Good paying jobs, great union jobs’

Many of the clean energy projects on the list are tied to EV battery manufacturing. While EVs have been subject to heated debate in recent years—and the subject of enormous misinformation courtesy of fossil fuel companies and right-wing groups—the new EV investments in Michigan are set to play a key role in Michigan’s future economy.

“I know there’s a lot of debate about electric vehicles. Either we’re going to build them or someone else is going to build them,” US Senate candidate Elissa Slotkin said at a recent event. “We will have to adjust and adapt and learn and revise. We’ve done that before in this country, we’ve done that before in this state. Give it to us, there’s no problem we can’t solve. We need the training and we’re going to get it done.”

@gandernewsroom

US Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Michigan) doesn’t think electric vehicles need to be such a controversial topic. “Either we’re going to build them or someone else is going to build them,” she said. “And if there’s a choice between Team China and Team America, I’m on Team America.”

♬ original sound – The Gander

But EVs aren’t the only clean energy industry in Michigan seeing massive investment, the report states.

Solar energy companies are also expanding operations in Michigan with support from Biden’s investments—including Corning, which is actively planning a $900 million manufacturing facility in Richland Township that’s expected to create nearly 1,200 new jobs. 

And just last month, Biden’s administration announced a $50 million investment to build a new hydrogen fuel factory in Plymouth Township, which state officials have said will create another 500 new jobs and solidify Michigan’s dominance in developing clean energy technology.

“As we build battery factories across America at record pace, this battery workforce initiative will ensure we’re all on the same page, literally,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement. “For too long, we’ve allowed other nations to lead battery manufacturing. No longer. We are going to bring the supply chain of electric vehicle production, from batteries to brakes, home to Michigan and the US.”

According to the report, about 50% of the new clean energy jobs (and 40% of the federal investments) are centered on new projects in low-income communities. About 13% of the new clean energy jobs (and 9% of the projects) are located in Michigan’s rural communities.

Granholm recently wrapped up a two-day tour where she traveled the state—alongside other leaders like Fain and Whitmer—to talk about the impact of Biden’s clean energy investments, and how Michigan plans to take advantage of the nationwide “electric vehicle revolution.”

During the trip, Granholm announced a $1.5 billion loan from the Biden administration to reopen the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant, which would be the first nuclear plant in the US to close and reopen. State officials said the project will protect 600 union jobs, support an additional 1,100 jobs in the community, and, once operational, provide clean, reliable energy to 800,000 homes. 

@gandernewsroom

“It’s amazing that policy actually works,” US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said during a press conference in Lansing. Granholm joined state and federal officials in Michigan this week to announce a new, federal training program designed to help prepare more Michigan workers for battery manufacturing jobs. She said the new initiative is all part of a strategy from President Joe Biden’s administration to help create jobs and ensure a smooth transition to electric vehicles across the country.

♬ original sound – The Gander

Granholm also announced a $5 million investment by the Department of Energy for Biden’s Battery Workforce Initiative that will support new training programs for EV battery assembly, which Whitmer said will be key to ensuring Michigan workers are prepared for new jobs.

“Together, we’re showing the world that Michigan is a place for companies to invest and for workers to find good paying jobs, great union jobs,” Whitmer said in a statement. 

READ MORE: Michigan outshines 48 states in fight for federal clean energy funding

For the latest Michigan news, follow The ‘Gander on Twitter.

Follow Political Correspondent Kyle Kaminski here.