House Republicans are pushing Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to explain why the administration opted to give electric vehicle makers more time to secure a key battery component — graphite — under the Inflation Reduction Act.
Energy and Commerce Committee leaders asked Granholm in a letter Tuesday to say whether she weighed in or signed off on Treasury Department rules giving EV producers two additional years to secure Inflation Reduction Act-compliant graphite.
“By classifying graphite as ‘impracticable-to-trace’ until 2027, the Biden administration is violating the statute and giving a handout to the [Chinese Communist Party], at the expense of American taxpayers,” wrote Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.); Environment, Manufacturing and Critical Materials Subcommittee Chair Buddy Carter (R-Ga.); and Energy, Climate and Grid Security Chair Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.).
The letter focuses on final regulations the Treasury Department released in May, which cemented requirements for automakers to receive lucrative tax incentives under the climate law, which provides up to $7,500 for the purchase of a new EV.
