Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is touring Georgia today in an effort to tout the Biden Administration’s $1 trillion infrastructure bill which routed some $4.2 billion to the Peach State. Much of that money will go towards maintaining and upgrading roads and bridges, but also included on the project list is rural broadband expansion, replacing old water pipes and funding public transit.
But the real reason Buttigieg is in town is to talk about the electric vehicle industry, where Georgia is becoming a national leader and the White House is putting a great deal of emphasis. Gov. Brian Kemp called Georgia “the electric mobility capital of America,” in his inaugural address and has expressed his desire to make EV production the cornerstone of his legacy by the time he leaves office in 2024. Republicans will no doubt push back on Buttigieg’s appearance as the Biden Administration attempts to make EV proliferation a hallmark of its own first term.
The ‘Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’ invested $7.5 billion into EV charging stations nationwide, and Buttigieg first stop in Georgia will be with IBEW members who are tasked with building out that infrastructure. Georgia specifically will receive $48.7 million for the project over 2022 and 2023.
The transportation secretary will then head to Commerce to visit the SK Battery Plant to take a tour and hold a press conference on the importance of the EV industry to the future of American manufacturing. The $2.6 billion facility is still ramping up production to meet surging demand and currently employs more than 3,000 workers on its sprawling campus.
Rivian and Hyundai are also in the process of building their own EV manufacturing plants in the state as additional multi-billion dollar investment wins for state economic development officials.
As Georgia’s EV industry draws national attention don’t expect to just see more electric cars on roadways in coming years, expect to see them as a political football as both sides get geared up for a bruising 2024 campaign season.
