DOE JOBS REPORT TOUTS MORE CLEAN JOBS: More than half the jobs added to the energy sector last year were clean energy jobs, with a high unionization rate compared to the rest of the industry, according to a jobs report released by the Department of Energy. The latest data come as the Biden administration has been making the case that spending on clean energy will equate to job growth.
The deets: The sector added over 250,000 jobs in 2023, with 56% of those jobs in clean energy, according to this year’s energy and employment report. Furthermore, for the first time, green jobs had higher unionization rates than those in the sector at large — 12.4% compared to 11%, respectively.
Why this matters: Data pointing to the growth in unionized, clean energy jobs help to strengthen Democrats’ big bet on the green transition. Members of the party enacted hundreds of billions of dollars in funding for green technology and infrastructure to help the U.S. reduce emissions and meet global climate goals — while simultaneously arguing that the spending would pay off in job growth.
“Put it all together, and you get an energy job sector that is strong and only getting stronger, with the Biden-Harris administration’s leadership and investments growing year-over-year, in quantity, quality and in consistency as well,” Deputy Energy Secretary David Turk said in a call with reporters.
A point of contention: Administration officials stressed during the call that energy employers are having “less difficulty” hiring qualified workers than the year before, addressing a criticism that many fossil fuel workers would be left behind in the green transition. Still, the report noted that 76% of employers across the industry reported at least “some difficulty” in finding qualified employees, with the highest rates being in the motor vehicle and electric power generation industries.
Interesting stats: Last year, clean energy jobs grew by 3.9%, outpacing overall job growth in the country in 2022. Both wind and solar reported strong job growth, growing at 5.3% and 4.5%, respectively. Solar jobs were more demographically diverse and unionized, according to the report. Read more from Nancy here.
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ANOTHER EV SETBACK FROM GM: General Motors is delaying the launch of a planned battery plant in Indiana by a year, signaling another retreat for electric vehicles as automakers wrestle with softer-than-expected consumer demand, Nancy writes.
The news was announced Tuesday as the automaker disclosed its joint venture with Samsung SDI to invest $3.5 billion in a battery plant scheduled to start production in 2027. Last year, however, the company said the partnership aimed for mass production in 2026.
General Motors isn’t the only auto producer to cancel or push back start dates to navigate the current EV market. Just last week, Ford canceled plans to launch an electric three-row SUV and a new electric pickup truck, and instead replaced the models with hybrid cars.
“The EV market and GM sales will continue to grow as more customers experience our EVs, the charging infrastructure builds out and we expand into more segments,” GM CEO Mary Barra said in a written statement.
General Motors has said it plans to assemble at least 200,000 EVs this year. However, it has sold about 38,000 to dealers in the first half of 2024. Read more on that here.
SUNRISE ISN’T FORMALLY BACKING HARRIS JUST YET: The Sunrise Movement is expected to funnel resources toward Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign, but is withholding its endorsement for now, the Washington Post reports.
The environmental group is looking to contact 1.5 million young voters to encourage them to vote for Harris, ramping up phone calls, canvassing and digital ad campaigns. But the group is looking to see what Harris’s platform on climate will look like before fully endorsing her.
Why this is notable: The lack of an endorsement from the youth-led climate group outlines a hurdle for Harris as she looks to court a key Democratic coalition that helped to push Joe Biden into the White House in 2020. If Harris were able to outline her vision for climate change and the Israel-Gaza war, it could build support amongst younger voters – but would risk alienating other blocs.
“The difference in excitement between Biden and Harris among young people we’ve been talking to is night and day,” Stevie O’Hanlon, a spokeswoman for Sunrise, told the Post. “We are looking to see what her climate platform ultimately is. Our members are eager to see what she puts out because there haven’t been a ton of details. And young people are looking for Harris to talk about the horrifying conditions that millions of people are facing in Gaza and to use her weight to push forcefully for a cease-fire.” Read more on that here.
AN UPCOMING CLIMATE MEETING WITH CHINA: The U.S. is expected to meet with China to continue conversations about reducing global emissions and allocating funds to protect poor countries from climate change, Bloomberg scoops.
John Podesta, Biden’s senior global climate adviser, is scheduled to meet with his counterpart, Liu Zhenmin, during the first week of September, sources tell the publication. The meetings are expected to build further on earlier talks between the two countries. Officials are looking to reach an agreement on how to move forward as economies look to decarbonize.
Why this is important: The talks come ahead of a presidential election that will dictate the U.S.’s strategy for countering climate change, and before COP29, a global climate summit that will be held in Azerbaijan.
What could be discussed between officials: New emission targets by 2035, along with the next round of nationally determined commitments from each country. Read more on that here.
RED STATES GO AFTER METHANE RULE: A bloc of red states is calling for the Supreme Court to stop the Biden administration’s efforts to slash methane from oil and gas production.
The Hill reports that 23 state attorney generals and Arizona’s state legislature are asking the highest court to block the Environmental Protection Agency’s rule tightening regulations of methane leaks. In the lawsuit, led by Oklahoma’s attorney general, they argue that the EPA overstepped its authority and that the regulation is too prescriptive for states to meet the requirements.
The takeaway: This is the latest move from Republican states to challenge the Biden administration’s environmental regulations. An appeals court in Washington, D.C., had denied the states’ request to halt the new methane regulations. More on that here.
RUNDOWN
Washington Examiner Trump’s energy promises: The realities of ‘Drill, Baby, Drill’
Politico EU Why energy is Israel’s weak spot
Reuters Scientists in Chile question if Antarctica has hit a point of no return