Granholm Touts ‘Investing In America’ Initiative On Milwaukee Visit

Secretary Jennifer Granholm delivers a speech at Discovery World. Photo taken March 27, 2024 by Sophie Bolich.

United State Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm paid a visit to Milwaukee on Wednesday afternoon, where she pointed to local companies as evidence of economic growth under President Joe Biden.

The city was just one stop on a four-day tour of the upper Midwest, which also included time in Ohio and Michigan, where she formerly served as governor.

Addressing a crowd of elected officials, union representatives and others gathered at Discovery World, Granholm touted the president’s “Investing in America” initiative, a series of bills passed in 2021 and 2022 that aim to bolster domestic manufacturing, create new jobs and facilitate the transition to clean energy sources.

“This is a strategy to lift bruised communities from their knees, to bring back future-facing, good jobs to workers,” she said. “It’s a strategy to invest in America — in all of America.”

Granholm underscored three key bills — the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS and Science Act — which she said are helping to revitalize the economy on both a local and national scale. And there’s signs of progress right here in the Milwaukee area, she said, highlighting several companies and organizations that have seen growth in recent years.

That includes Ingeteam, a Spanish manufacturer of wind turbine generators and electric vehicle chargers, which last year announced a plan to expand its Menomonee Valley plant with an EV production facility. The company said it expects to hire up to 100 additional workers in the following five years as a result.

Another company, Vilter by Copeland, received a 2023 grant from the Biden administration to manufacture electric heat pump compressors at its Cudahy plant. The location, Granholm said, is set to receive $9 million in combined public and private dollars, and will be able to produce one million pump compressors per year.

She also gave a shout out to COnovate, which produces a carbon-based material for lithium ion batteries. The technology offers faster charging, higher capacity and better safety.

“There’s three examples,” Granholm said. “It’s happening all across the country since the passage of the president’s agenda. These clusters of innovation and manufacturing — these clean energy ecosystems — are popping up in places like Milwaukee County and all over the country.”

Mayor Cavalier Johnson praised what he called “a new industrial revolution for clean energy,” and shared a positive outlook for the future of environmentally-friendly manufacturing in the city — a continuation of a longtime tradition in Milwaukee.

“Milwaukee is a manufacturing community, all of us know that,” the mayor said. “President Joe Biden and his administration are focused positively on our future. They’re imagining what’s possible and setting this country on a course for even greater things.”

County Executive David Crowley also spoke, emphasizing the pressing nature of the climate crisis and touting his climate action plan, which aims to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 while advancing equity, justice and resilience for residents.

“You know who understands this the most? The Biden administration,” Crowley said. “The president and his team, including Secretary Granholm, are working with us to build a healthier, cleaner community. And they have played a huge role in making sure that this growth in our clean economy is popping here in Wisconsin.”

After her speech at Discovery World, Granholm headed west for a meeting with the Walnut Way Conservation Corp., where she met with Executive Director Antonio Butts and his staff.

During her visit, she toured the organization’s Wellness Commons building, which features sustainability measures such as solar panels and a rooftop garden.

Granholm also spoke with the Conservation Corp. about the role of the environmental justice community in the transition to clean energy, and highlighted programs and support that are available through the Department of Energy (DOE) to help the state continue its clean energy transition.

Butts said that the conversation was productive, noting that initiatives from the DOE and programs implemented through the Inflation Reduction Act have been instrumental in accelerating clean energy solutions — specifically for low and moderate-income individuals.

“It was truly an honor to host Secretary Granholm at Walnut Way and have the opportunity to showcase our work in community-led comprehensive development,” he said in a statement. “This work has wide-reaching impacts in our community, and is central to our mission of ensuring the health, well-being and vitality of our neighborhood — especially as we continue to feel the impacts of climate change.”

Butts also facilitated a roundtable discussion outlining the organization’s efforts to uplift the voices of community members who have previously been left out of energy-related policy conversations, despite feeling its cost and health effects. The discussion further touched on the community impact of weatherizing and installing renewable technology on homes in the neighborhood.