Brunswick Beacon, 11.09.23
As reported in the November 2nd Brunswick Beacon, Epsilon Advanced Materials (EAM) will invest $649.9 million to manufacture graphite components of electric car batteries in Brunswick County. Based at the Mid-Atlantic Rail Industrial Park, the 1.5 million square foot facility will create 500 lucrative jobs and add over $1.3 billion to our local economy, a deal that Brunswick County Commissioner Randy Thompson says “is huge for all of us.”
Governor Roy Cooper noted, “Our people in North Carolina are hardworking, they’re dedicated… and they are ready to work.” Brunswick Community College (BCC) will provide specialized workforce training. EAM president Vikram Handa said “This facility is the largest Indian investment in the U.S. electric vehicle (EV) battery industry and we’re proud to have North Carolina as the centerpiece of our U.S manufacturing strategy.”
Over 100 sites were considered. Factors that clinched the Brunswick County deal included our local workforce, a power-ready site with proximity to rail, access to automotive client companies, economic incentives, and the BCC partnership.
This is truly “electrifying news” but MAGA Republicans in our North Carolina General Assembly are slowing the roll-out of EVs, preferring the pollution (and campaign donations) from continued reliance on fossil fuels.
Meanwhile, President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is bearing fruit with over 3 million EVs on our roads and over 135,000 public chargers on line. Biden has been laser-focused on growing jobs (and training) for hardworking Americans. The November 3rd jobs report confirms that he’s on the right track, with over 150,000 jobs created in October and over 14 million jobs created since he became President.
As the saying goes, you can vote “D” to drive forward or “R” to return to the failed policies of the past. Democrats create jobs for their constituents; Republicans gerrymander their districts to preserve their own jobs. Vote accordingly.
Michael P. Rush
Leland
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