In the past year, Augusta has been designated both a “workforce hub” and a “tech hub” by the Biden administration, in recognition of our city’s economic prowess. Last week, First Lady Jill Biden met with Mayor Garnett Johnson and other local leaders to celebrate this progress, which includes $1.4 billion in recently announced private-sector investments.
Opinion
Augusta’s economic growth is due in large part to federal legislation that’s powering our country’s clean energy boom. I’ve spent 16 years in the Georgia General Assembly and served on the Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications Committee last session. What I’m seeing now is exciting, and it’s something that we’re not talking about nearly enough: made-in-America manufacturing is coming back.
In the year since the Inflation Reduction Act was signed, companies have announced more 200,000 new clean energy jobs. This is good news not just for our nation generally, but also for hardworking Georgia families specifically.
Our state is rapidly becoming an EV manufacturing hub. Hyundai is building two gigafactories in Georgia, one factory with SK On near Atlanta and another with LG in Savannah. Combined, these projects are expected to create 6,500 jobs.
Georgia is among the top three states in clean energy jobs created by the Inflation Reduction Act, with 19,000 jobs announced in our state in the past year alone. Thanks to these federal clean energy investments, the Augusta area will see 600 new, clean energy jobs at the Solvay Specialty Polymers Battery Factory.
These jobs are good-paying jobs you can raise a family on. Three-quartersof them won’t require a college degree. And as clean energy continues to get cheaper and more accessible, the economic opportunity and number of jobs that are available are only going to continue to grow. We’re trending in the right direction: wind and solar now costs less than coal, oil, and methane gas.
It’s not just about jobs and the economy. These good-paying American jobs will also help protect the planet and our health. Georgia families are already bearing the consequences of unfettered climate change. This is especially true for cities like Augusta that are experiencing record-breaking, extreme heat waves which pose a direct threat to low–income families and elderly Georgians living in our community.
I’m excited—but not surprised—that the First Lady chose to visit Augusta, because I know just how hardworking, talented, and resilient our workforce is. Augusta earning a “tech hub” designation from the Biden Administration confirmed something we already knew: our city is an absolutely critical piece of the effort to push our entire country into a clean energy future. Our national future is stronger because of the innovative technology ecosystem being built right here in Augusta.
It’s up to us to live up to the opportunity and promise of these investments. I have complete faith that we will.
Rep. Gloria Frazier (HD-126)
Elected into the Georgia House of Representatives on January 8, 2007, Rep. Gloria Frazier (HD-126) has represented the Augusta area for over 16 years. Under the Gold Dome, she has served on numerous committees, including Banks & Banking, Budget and Fiscal Affairs Oversight, Public Safety and Homeland Security, and Energy, Utilities & Telecommunications.
