During a Thursday Finance committee hearing, Senator Reverend Warnock questioned Jamieson Greer during his nomination to be the United States Trade Representative (USTR)
Senator Reverend Warnock highlighted the importance of Georgia’s clean energy economy and the thousands of jobs that support it
Greer is a partner in the International Trade team at King & Spalding, which is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia
Senator Reverend Warnock: “I’m excited about the investments in solar energy in Georgia. I’m also proud that Georgia, in many ways, is leading the country in building electric cars entirely in the United States, employing thousands of Georgians”
Watch video of Senator Reverend Warnock’s questioning HERE
Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, during a Senate Finance committee hearing on Jamieson Greer’s nomination to be the United States Trade Representative (USTR), U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) pressed Greer on his commitment to protecting and bolstering Georgia’s clean energy economy.
During Senator Warnock’s line of questions, he also highlighted the importance of the boon to Georgia’s economy that the clean energy market provides.
“Down near my hometown where the Kia plant opened, we’ve got about 9,000 more jobs that have been created in that area. A major economic boon,” said Senator Reverend Warnock.
Senator Warnock has continuously fought to deliver robust clean energy investments to communities across Georgia. Last year, heannounced over $700,000 in federal investments to help farmers, ranchers, and rural business owners upgrade their energy systems with sustainable solar and electric energy alternatives to help lower their energy costs. Additionally, the Senator played an instrumental role in securing landmark investments to expand the nation’s fleet of clean electric school buses, including delivering over $60 million for electric school buses for Georgia. In the Inflation Reeducation Act, Senator Warnock secured incentives for domestic solar manufacturing, which will help create more clean energy jobs, as well his plan to promote the creation of sustainable aviation fuel.
Watch the Senator’s full remarks and line of questioning HERE.
See below a transcript of key exchanges between Senator Warnock and nominee Jamieson Greer:
Senator Reverend Warnock (SRW): “In our meeting, we discussed the importance of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and its clean energy investments in Georgia. I enjoyed our conversation very much. Welcome and congratulations to you, and to your family.”
“We talked about these provisions in the IRA. The state of Georgia has seen growth in our advanced manufacturing sector, with both domestic companies and foreign companies making significant investments, due in large measure to the IRA’s clean energy investments, bringing a lot of jobs to Georgia.”
“One of the things I’m very proud of as a lifelong native of Georgia is that little Dalton, Georgia known as the carpet capital of the world. If you are walking on a floor anywhere, there is a good chance you are walking on something that was created in Dalton, Georgia. But who would have imagined that Dalton, Georgia would become such a leader in the manufacturing of solar panels? This is due to the Korean solar manufacturer, Qcells, bringing thousands of jobs to Georgia, creating a domestic solar industry, almost entirely free of Chinese supply chains.”
“However, it needs trade protections to compete against a heavily subsidized Chinese industry. If confirmed as the nation’s trade representative, how would you work to protect and grow domestic solar and clean energy manufacturing to ensure our supply chain does not depend on China?”
Jamieson Greer (JG): “Thank you, senator. I’m glad to hear you express concern and interest in this, these are things I am concerned about too.”
“To the extent that there is going to be energy products manufactured and used in the United States, it would be great to have them made here. And that we’re not using panels that come from China, and in some instances might include products of subsidies or forced labor. The first Trump Administration did a safeguard tariff. The Commerce Department for many years has had other tariffs in place and I think that those can be effective tools.”
“You have testified to this, that we have new protections in the United States. Europe did not have these protections in place and they saw their solar industry go away. I’m very interested in maintaining and exploring those possibilities to ensure we have that production here.”
SRW: “I appreciate that, and I look forward to continuing to have that conversation. I’m excited about the investments in solar energy in Georgia. I’m also proud that Georgia, in many ways, is leading the country in building electric cars, entirely in the United States, employing thousands of Georgians. Down near my hometown where the Kia plant opened, we’ve got about 9,000 more jobs that have been created in that area. A major economic boon.”
“President Trump and congressional Republicans have bragged about repealing federal investments in the green economy that have created these jobs. Jobs that have bipartisan support in my state. I support what we’re doing there, the Republican Governor supports it. This is a top bipartisan economic issue in Georgia. It’s about American manufacturing.”
“If confirmed, how will you use your position to protect the investments and thousands of jobs, jobs that foreign car companies have brought to Georgia?”
JG: “My role and my jurisdiction in the administration is to negotiate trade deals where appropriate and do trade enforcement as necessary which is certainly an area where I want to make sure any manufacturing you have doesn’t have to compete unfairly with foreign product.”
“With respect to other incentives or other legislation, that is something that I believe the Treasury Department and the Energy Department, the President and Congress will determine the path forward.”
SRW: “Would you agree that if we seed that space, that it is not a net positive result for American businesses?”
JG: “We need to have advance manufacturing in the United States as much as possible whether it is traditional or electric vehicles or solar panels.”
SRW: “So ideology around clean energy should not stop us from doing what is necessary.”
JG: “If we are going to have manufacturers making clean energy, that makes sense, and broader energy policy, we should be making those things here.”
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