BlueGreen Alliance Responds to U.S. Department of Energy’s Request For Information on the Implementation of the Defense Production Act
As the U.S. Department of Energy develops its implementation strategy, it should view DPA funding as part of a holistic industrial strategy.
President Biden’s authorization of Title III of the DPA in June for manufacturing of: solar photovoltaics; insulation materials; electrolyzers, platinum group metals, and fuel cells for clean hydrogen; and heat pumps offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity. When paired with additional manufacturing investments in the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), it will dramatically reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, as well as toxic air, water, and land pollution, while providing good union jobs in the clean economy, driving growth in U.S. manufacturing, and securing our clean energy industrial base.
Importantly, awards should reflect the value-added role of the DPA. We urge the U.S. Department of Energy, and other relevant agencies and offices, to publicly outline such a strategy after incorporating stakeholder input, building on DOE’s Industrial Decarbonization Roadmap. This holistic industrial strategy should specify the comparative advantage of the various Inflation Reduction Act, BIL, and other federal funding streams and incentives for achieving the goals of reduced industrial emissions and expanded clean technology manufacturing.