CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Two U.S. senators from states with declining manufacturing sectors are pushing to invest $8 billion through tax credits to create clean energy jobs.
U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan unveiled legislation Monday that aims to help rural communities that have lost jobs in the coal and and fossil fuel industries.
The proposal is meant to incentivize companies producing batteries, electric and fuel cell vehicles, semiconductor chips and other renewable energy technologies.
The two Democrats said it would aim to uplift Appalachia, where the decline of coal has devastated local economies, and other parts of the country where manufacturing has declined. Half of the $8 billion would go to communities where coal mines have closed or coal power plants have shuttered. The other half would target the auto industry, Manchin said.