Once the legacy media's ongoing efforts to recast Democratic candidate Kamala Harris as a dynamic leader and capable campaigner pass, we may enter a presidential campaign phase in which we will scrutinize her on key issues. true record. [emphasis, links added]
When — or if — that moment comes, the vice president will have a lot to explain about energy policy.
Last week, I provided a high-level overview of some of the radical policies Harris supported during her time in California and Washington, D.C. massacre.
Let's start with Harris' speech on December 13, 2021, in Brandywine, Maryland. Speeches were given to an audience that included workers at highway maintenance facilities.
As part of her speech, The vice president expressed strong support for electric vehicles and his administration's plan to try to subsidize them to dominate the auto market.
“Pollution from fossil fuel-powered vehicles has long harmed the health of communities across our country,” Harris said. “But there is a solution to this problem, and it is parked right behind me … electric cars, trucks, and buses — they don't produce tailpipe emissions that irritate the nose and eyes, that decrease lung function, that increase susceptibility to respiratory discomfort.”
Harris added: “That means building millions of electric cars, trucks and buses in our country. It means equipping thousands of electric vehicle repair shops like this one. This means installing a national network of electric vehicle chargers.“
The speech came after Congress enacted the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act of 2021, which contains more than $200 billion in clean energy subsidies. Eight months later, Congress passed the Orwellian Inflation Reduction Act and its $369 billion in similar subsidies.
How are things going in America three years later?
As I pointed out a few weeks ago, Every pure-play EV manufacturer in the U.S. is now either bankrupt or teetering on the edge.
Ford reported last week that its electric vehicle division, the Ford Model E, lost about $50,000 per vehicle sold in the second quarter, a best-case scenario The company has posted quarterly results in more than a year.
Even Tesla's quarterly results earlier this year were disappointing as consumer demand for electric vehicles slowed rapidly.
Biden and Harris’ dream of funding high-speed electric vehicle chargers across the country also fell through.
The Washington Post and other media outlets reported in April that Granholm Energy has invested $7.5 billion to install 5,000 such charging stations across the country, but only seven have been launched so far.
Harris also approved a $5 billion program administered by the EPA included in the infrastructure law to Funding the adoption of battery-electric buses in targeted school systems across the country.
So far, the EPA has issued two federal grants totaling $1.9 billion, with disappointing results.
Of the 389 school districts targeted by the grants, only 23 reported successfully purchasing and placing a total of 60 buses into service. But another 50 of those regions later withdrew from consideration for the plan.
“EPA anticipates that the transition to newer technology school buses will take time, which is why the project term is two years, with the option to extend if needed and justified,” said EPA spokesperson Shayla Powell.
oh.
IRA subsidies for electric city buses may have had the worst consequences.
Electric buses are expensive, have high maintenance costs, and have limited charging range, and even ultra-liberal cities like Austin, Texas, and Jackson, Wyoming, are no longer trying to replace their fleets.
The bankruptcy of Proterra, the largest electric bus manufacturer, in 2023 also adds to the woes.
To be honest, it’s hard to identify any aspect of the Biden-Harris package of EV-related policies that could be called a success. As her party's apparent nominee, Harris will have a lot to answer for — that is, if the media gets around to asking questions.
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