WASHINGTON — A group of leading environmental and labor organizations is meeting regularly to discuss public policy that would both cut greenhouse gas emissions and protect jobs in the auto industry's transition to electric vehicles.
The discussions were first organized by U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., a former General Motors Co. executive, and are now being led by John Podesta and the Center for American Progress, she said. Podesta was chief of staff to Bill Clinton, counselor to Barack Obama and chairman of Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential bid, and now leads the center.
The United Auto Workers, the League of Conservation Voters, Environmental Defense Fund, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Sierra Club and the Union of Concerned Scientists are all involved in the workgroup, among others, Dingell said.
"So many times, we make false choices, it's one or the other (protecting the environment or jobs). The environmentalists are listening to labor talk about the challenges, they're trying to understand them, and we're working on policy solutions that does both," she told The Detroit News' Daniel Howes during an interview on WJR-AM (760).
"What I'm trying to do is bring everybody to the table. A lot of people agree with what the goals are, and we've got to listen and understand each other where the challenges are."
The discussions come as global automakers are quickening their collective pivot to electrification and Democrats in Washington are mounting a push to electrify the transportation sector in the pursuit of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Biden has said he hopes to reach a net-zero economy by 2050 and to cut emissions at least in half by 2030.
That effort has been met with some hesitancy from labor advocates, who note that electric vehicles require fewer parts, less maintenance and are expected to last longer than traditional gas- and diesel-powered vehicles — a combination expected to translate into fewer jobs on the assembly floor.
Democrats argue those job numbers will be made up — and expanded — in the new economy supporting electric vehicles, including in battery plants and charging companies. But union leaders point out foreign automakers, electric-vehicle startups like Tesla Inc., and battery plants so far have largely remained non-unionized. They have pushed GM and Ford Motor Co. to extend union contracts to joint battery ventures.
"We support the idea of there being massive federal investments to create the infrastructure for EV manufacturing and deployment, but there has to be conditions," UAW legislative director Josh Nassar told a House subcommittee last week.
"Employers have to be held accountable for how they treat their workers. We just need to make sure that these new jobs created are good jobs. And right now, I can't say with any assurance that they will be."
Most environmental groups have been supportive of Biden's climate policies, including the $2 trillion jobs and infrastructure package that aims to jumpstart the transition to electric transportation. But some, including the Sierra Club involved in the workgroup discussions, have said the administration needs to go even bigger in order to avoid the most disastrous effects of climate change.
The natural tension between labor unions and environmental groups — two core Democratic constituencies — could prove to be one of the biggest challenges for Biden and his allies as they attempt to get the jobs and infrastructure package through Congress, which has big implications for the energy sector as well as the auto industry.
But so far, Dingell and others in the workgroup say they're seeing eye-to-eye.
"We believe strongly we can do this. Especially when we're consciously attempting to make the change," said Matthew Davis, senior director of government affairs for the League of Conservation Voters.
In order to avoid the most devastating effects of climate change, all new vehicle sales should be emissions-free by 2035, he said. "We need to move faster in transitioning to pollution-free vehicles. We also think it's doable, and it's doable in a way that builds and bolsters our workforce here, and our economy across the country."
Automakers are investing heavily in developing zero-emission vehicles. GM aims to eliminate emissions from all light vehicles it sells by 2035; Ford Motor Co. plans to sell only zero-emission passenger vehicles in Europe by 2030; and Stellantis NV has said it will offer an electrified option for nearly all of its U.S. models by 2025 and battery-electric versions of all its nameplates by 2030.
California, the nation's most populous state that wields enormous influence over U.S. auto sales and emissions standards, plans to phase out sales of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035. A dozen governors sent a letter to Biden urging him to implement a similar national policy, but Biden has remained non-committal. The Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association and the UAW have voiced opposition to setting a date for phasing out gas- and diesel-powered vehicles.
"This was agreed to be (a) private meeting and the UAW honoring that agreement will not discuss it," UAW spokesperson Brian Rothenberg told The News of the collaboration with environmental groups. "We can say that the UAW is clearly committed to protecting and creating good paying union jobs and benefits."
Fred Krupp, president of Environmental Defense Fund, said in a statement the group is "glad to be part of the important conversations" taking place to find mutually beneficial solutions. Michelle Robinson, director of the Clean Transportation program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said in a statement that EVs can "advance broadly shared goals" of creating good jobs and reducing the risks of climate change.
