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Accelera by Cummins shows off an electric vehicle powertrain at an event in July. The company plans to convert half of its Columbus plant to make electric parts for cars and trucks.
Rebecca Thiele / IPB NewsIndiana is one of the states that has benefited the most from clean energy projects spurred by the Inflation Reduction Act. That’s according to the green business advocacy group E2.
Since the federal law passed two years ago, more than $7.8 billion worth of private investment has come to the Hoosier State. Most of the money has gone to EV battery manufacturing plants for companies like Samsung, Stellantis and Toyota.
E2 Executive Director Bob Keefe said more than half of all clean energy projects that came out of the IRA have been in red congressional districts. He said that shows there shouldn’t be anything partisan about the clean energy economy.
“These are bringing opportunities to places around the country that, frankly, have been bypassed or hurt by previous economic transitions. We're finally getting going again in the right direction in what is the biggest market opportunity in the world right now," Keefe said.
READ MORE: Cummins, Stellantis get federal dollars to expand electric vehicle, parts manufacturing
While some rural areas of the state will host these projects, few of them have come into Black communities and others that have been disproportionately harmed by the effects of pollution and climate change.
Denise Abdul-Rahman is the environmental climate justice chair for the Indiana NAACP and chief equity officer for Black Sun Light Sustainability. She said, at one time, auto manufacturers would employ multiple generations in a family.
“To set that tone in some other areas that do not have that — I think would really, change the projectory in Indiana and, you know, reduce crime and increase wealth among groups that have been historically left behind," Abdul-Rahman said.
READ MORE: Indiana low-income solar programs get more than $117 million in federal funding
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The IRA has also funneled hundreds of millions of dollars into public sustainability projects in Indiana — like solar for lower-income communities, electric vehicle charging stations and home energy efficiency upgrades.
Abdul-Rahman said no matter who the next administration is, she hopes the momentum behind these kinds of initiatives doesn’t stop.
Rebecca is our energy and environment reporter. Contact her at rthiele@iu.edu or follow her on Twitter at @beckythiele.
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