For Immediate Release
January 15, 2009 |
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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Hilarie Chambers
Office: 202.225.4961
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Lawmakers Call for Advanced Battery Funding in Economic Recovery Bill |
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(Washington D.C.)- A bipartisan group of 37 Members of Congress wrote to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other House leaders on Wednesday to urge funding for loans and grants for advanced batteries and vehicles in the economic recovery package. The letter was organized by Rep. Sander Levin (D-MI) and Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA).
The letter read, in part:
“We cannot move from a dependency on foreign oil to a dependency on foreign-made technology.
Nearly all batteries for hybrid electric vehicles are made in Pacific Rim countries. Although U.S. federal spending on advanced batteries jumped from $24.4 million in FY 2006 to $56.1 million in FY 2008, Japan – the acknowledged leader in advanced battery production – has been investing in this technology for many years. We have not. We are coming to the game late and must build capability quickly to keep up.
Funding for electric transportation technologies will be essential to achieving President-elect Obama’s goal of placing one million plug-in hybrid vehicles on the road by 2015 and ensure that these vehicles are built here in America.
The letter calls for $1 billion in grants to support advanced battery manufacturing in the U.S. along with other components for advanced technology vehicles, as well as funding to support $3.3 billion in loan guarantees for advanced batteries and battery systems. The lawmakers also urged funding to support another $25 billion in federal loans for retooling U.S. manufacturing facilities to produce advanced vehicles. Congress approved $25 billion for this purpose last fall and the Department of Energy has already received over 70 applications for funding.
Also signing the letter were Michigan Representatives Dingell, Kildee, Stupak, Kilpatrick, Miller, Peters, Schauer, Upton, Rogers and Conyers.
“The Federal government must be an active partner in moving towards electric and plug-in vehicles,” said Rep. Levin, “We are at a critical juncture in the commercialization of advanced battery technology to power the next generation of green vehicles and we must be in the position to produce the essential components in the U.S. and not rely on advanced technology and critical building blocks produced elsewhere."
Click here to view the full letter.
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To Contact Congressman Levin: -
Email Congressman LevinIn Michigan: 27085 Gratiot Ave, Roseville, MI 48066 | (586) 498-7122 | (248) 968-2025
In Washington: 1236 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 | (202) 225-4961
