Environmental justice, job security key to EV transition, experts say
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A transition to electric vehicle manufacturing could lead to thousands of new jobs for Indiana, while the shift to zero-emission vehicles could provide billions of dollars in public health benefits, according to new studies.
But with all that potential comes some very big challenges.
Auto industry workers fear the transition could leave them out of jobs if they’re not properly trained.
Environmental experts say manufactures must find a more holistic approach that moves away from a legacy of pollution that disproportionally affects low-income and minority neighborhoods.
State and local officials, meanwhile, need to act quickly to keep up with neighboring states such of Michigan and Ohio in the race to capitalize on the new opportunities that could be transformative for the Indiana economy and environment.
“We are really kind of at a fork in the road when it comes to significant investments in the state,” state senator J.D. Ford said. “We’re not going to see another opportunity on EV infrastructure as we have now.”
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The MIT Roosevelt Project recently released its study on the future of the auto industry as it transitions into electric vehicles and found Indiana, Michigan and Ohio could see 3.1 million new jobs — 265,000 of them in manufacturing — over the next 30 years if the right federal policies are put in place.
Other job sectors that also would benefit include dealerships, repair and maintenance, and auto parts stores.
“With a strong, worker-friendly policy framework in response to the climate crisis, electrification of the motor vehicle sector could bring an exciting new era of shared prosperity to Industrial Heartland communities,” David Foster, of the MIT Roosevelt Project, said in a statement.
Gov. Eric Holcomb and the state legislature recently formed an Electric Vehicle Production Commission to draw from experts around Indiana to formulate a path forward.
Ford, a Democrat from Indianapolis who sits on the commission, said he hopes the group can put forward policy recommendations in a final report within a year or so.
Michigan and Ohio are lightyears ahead of Indiana when it comes to electric vehicle production, Ford said. With federal funding now coming in, he said, Indiana must get serious about charting the state’s role in the new industry.
“Indiana is going to receive $100 million for EV charging, and more will be available in grant funding,” Ford said. “The work we are doing is critical.”
The money Ford mentioned is part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act the U.S. Congress passed in November.
Benefits and pitfalls for public health
The Roosevelt Project’s report published just before another study done by the American Lung Association, which found a transition to zero-emission vehicles in Indiana would generate $36.8 billion in public health benefits.
Transportation is the leading contributor to air pollution and climate change, Tiffany Nichols, director of advocacy for the association, said in a statement. Fuel combustion also is “a major contributor” to health burden across the U.S., the report says, and moving toward zero-emissions would reduce harmful pollutants like greenhouse gasses.
“We need Indiana’s leaders to act to implement equitable policies and invest in the transition to healthy air,” Nichols said.
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The cumulative health benefits for Hoosiers by 2050 include avoiding more than 3,000 pre-mature deaths, the study says. The lung association used statistics from the Environmental Protection Agency to calculate mortality.
While cutting pollution rates would benefit all Americans, the study notes current emissions also create public health and environmental disparities in lower-income communities and communities of color.
Jalonne White-Newsome, founder and CEO of Empowering a Green Environment and Economy, participated in the MIT study with a focus on how these communities are left behind.
The transition to electric vehicles is not just about the importance of jobs and putting new vehicles out to society, she said. The process also must consider the effect this transition will have on physical environments as well as the health of people.
“The fact of the matter is there are not a lot of Black and brown folks represented in the spaces and at the table of organizations and in a leadership position in local and state government, and that’s where the problem lies,” White-Newsome said.
The transition to zero-emission transportation should not move forward before taking care of legacy pollution and creating an equitable future for everyone, she said.
That work begins by capturing data relating to the health outcomes experienced by local populations, she said.
“We also need data around transportation needs. How many of these public transport options are available to low-income communities and communities of color? Are there adequate bus lines running on clean energy? That is the kind of granular data we need to make the best decisions,” White-Newsome said.
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Public health is a key selling point to this transition, state senator Ford said. The transition will reduce emissions into the air, he said, which would be a huge benefit for Hoosiers. But the new commission has yet to have conversations about public health and environmental implications in its first few meetings.
“I definitely think it’s something for us to consider and the whole goal of this EV commission is to look at everything in totality on how this will impact and affect the state,” Ford said. “I think it could be a potential topic for the commission to look at.”
The commission meets again April 8, and Ford said now that the legislative session is over, the meetings will happen more often.
Training the workforce
While Ohio and Michigan are moving much faster than Indiana on the EV transition, Ford said the jobs the state will be competing for pay as well, and that Hoosiers will benefit from the technology.
“It’s one thing to build a plant, but if you don’t have workers to work, that’s a huge stalling point,” the state senator said. “How will we scale up our workers? There’s so much runway ahead of us to talk about.”
David Konisky, a professor at the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University, studied workforce issues for the MIT report.
He and his colleagues set out to understand how people in the communities and those working in the industry would be affected.
“The transition to EVs potentially has enormous ramifications for those working in auto plants and the communities,” Konisky said. “Our goal was to speak with them and learn about their perceptions of the transition.”
A big takeaway: There is a lot of anxiety and dread.
“They see some huge announcement or commitments auto companies are making to move toward EV on rapid timelines, and they’re concerned about what it means for them and their families and communities,” Konisky said. “The impending doom for them is very prominent.”
Workers are worried they may lose their jobs, or not be selected for the training needed to work in EV plants. Some have spent most of their lives working for these companies, Konisky said, and they feel like there’s a potential they’ll be left out in the transition.
There was optimism, however, in the ranks of managers or community leaders.
“Those folks viewed the changes that were occurring as opportunities for communities and a chance to revitalize the economy and be part of the future economy where EVs are a big part of success,” Konisky said.
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Still, Konisky and his fellow researchers said workers believe they deserve to build the next car, and this was going to be taken from them during a transition.
Konisky and his team come to much the same conclusion White-Newsome did in her work: Include everyone in the transition.
“There is a great deal at stake for workers and communities, in terms of how they will respond politically, with grave implications for public trust and social and economic integration,” the IU report says. “At this critical moment, the voices of the people most affected by the coming transition should be foregrounded in discussions of policy change.”
Karl Schneider is an IndyStar environment reporter. You can reach him at ka************@in******.com . Follow him on Twitter @karlstartswithk
IndyStar’s environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.
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