Open Now: Interest Form for GMA-FEMA Meeting
As noted in last week’s update, GMA is working with the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to arrange a meeting with officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for cities with outstanding reimbursements related to Hurricane Helene, specifically for debris removal and disposal. The meeting may be virtual and will give city officials the chance to discuss their funding situation with FEMA officials with the purpose of finding a solution. If your city is interested in participating in the meeting, please fill out this form. GMA will follow up with you once we have formalized the event details. Only cities that have not been repaid for expenses incurred from Hurricane Helene will be invited to participate.
Electric Vehicle Investments on Hold
With One, Big Beautiful Bill, a major tax and spending legislation package, under negotiation in the U.S. Senate, discussions on electric vehicle infrastructure investments have resurfaced. Both the House and Senate versions of the bill include provisions to phase out clean energy tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. In particular, the bill in its current form would roll back several federal incentives, including a $7500 tax credit for EV vehicle consumers and production tax credits for manufacturers along the EV supply chain. You can review the tax provisions in Chapter 5 (page 29) of the bill text released by the Senate Committee on Finance on June 16.
Georgia has been very successful in recruiting EV investments in recent years, and many Georgia cities have benefited from those investments and the related economic development. The threats to EV incentives are therefore concerning. The Trump Administration previously released the “Unleashing American Energy” Executive Order to promote economic competitiveness and security. Section 7 of that order identifies the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program (NEVI) and the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant Program for termination. Legislation has also been introduced in Congress to redirect NEVI and CFI funds, such as H.R.1052 - UNPLUG EVs Act and H.R.1513 - Unplug the Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Program Act.
A reversal of federal policy on EV subsidies could alter the business case for projects like the Kia EV expansion in West Point, the Hyundai Metaplant in Bryan County, the SK Battery project in Commerce, and many other EV related projects as well as their suppliers. These projects have promised to bring jobs to Georgia cities and uplift local economies. In some cities, companies are directly investing in local infrastructure and public services, as this Atlanta Journal Constitution recently covered about SK Battery in the City of Commerce.
For more information on provisions in One, Big, Beautiful Bill of municipal concern, check out National League of Cities Urges Senate to Make Key Changes to House-passed Tax Package as well as GMA’s previous federal updates.