Buttigieg Talks Electric Vehicles, Climate, and Jobs in Kokomo
Source: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / Getty
KOKOMO, Ind.–Transportation Secretary and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg returned to Indiana on Friday to tour the construction site of a future electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant in Kokomo.
The construction on that plant was announced last October by Stellantis N.V. and Samsung SDI.
“This is a unique facility and extraordinary thing, but there are opportunities and good news announcements like this happening all across the country. Part of that we believe is driven by our once-in-a-generation infrastructure improvements,” said Buttigieg.
Buttigieg says electric vehicles are going to be a part of the future.
“They will not be remembered just as some front in an invented culture war between Red (Republican) and Blue (Democrat) America, but as a part of our global competition,” said Buttigieg.
He also believes that clean energy is not only enhancing manufacturing, but it’s also creating jobs across the Upper Midwest along with the rest of the country.
“This is what climate jobs look like. Some call them green collar jobs. I see them as blue collar jobs. However you want to characterize them, they are the jobs of the future,” said Buttigieg.
Buttigieg has also visited Wisconsin and Michigan recently. He’s supposed to speak with Vice President Kamala Harris this weekend.
You can hear more of Buttigieg’s comments below.
