Hi John,

This week, President Biden visited the Cummins plant in Minnesota, touting the company’s $1 billion investment across a network of manufacturing plants. Together, these facilities will onshore their electrolyzer supply chain, cut transportation emissions, and create hundreds of new jobs across three states thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act.

Clean energy investments are benefitting American communities across the country. Each new project creates jobs and helps the US reduce emissions. But it’s also about something bigger than that. As we explain in this week’s On the Grid, the rebuilding of the nation’s supply chains, energy, and manufacturing sectors are a powerful force for the values our country holds dear, and creating a cause for America’s workers as part of a national Arsenal of Clean Energy.

This week, Third Way Visiting Fellow and former Ohio Congressman, Tim Ryan released his debut monthly “Dispatches from the Heartland” column in The Liberal Patriot, emphasizing the importance of empowering American workers and placing them at the center of the clean energy transition.

America’s workers have always answered the country’s call, whether building public works during the Great Depression, fighting fascism during World War II, or expanding the middle class in the post-war boom. Today, our country is simultaneously confronting rising authoritarianism from the Communist government in China and Putin’s regime in Russia, and growing demand for enormous amounts of clean energy across the globe.

In this month’s column, Tim reinforced this message, rallying for continued investment in and empowerment of our workers so they can play their vital role in expanding clean manufacturing and strengthening America’s global competitiveness. We’re already seeing a wave of projects that will offer working-class Americans the opportunity to help scale up American clean energy. Intel’s $20 billion investment in an advanced semiconductor facility is bringing 7,000 union construction jobs and 3,000 intel jobs to Ohio and that’s just the start.

In upcoming columns, Tim will highlight other game-changing announcements like Intel’s and offer his perspective on the biggest challenges we still have to overcome to build a safer, more reliable, affordable, and clean future.

Last month, Third Way released a memo sounding the alarm on a No Labels plan for a third-party bid in 2024 that would ultimately help re-elect Donald Trump. The DC-based dark money organization is working to get a third-party candidate on the ballot in all 50 states, and they are targeting Blue states and voters who were essential to the Democratic coalition that ousted Trump in 2020. Backed by $70 million from anonymous donors, even a paltry performance in a few key battleground states could elect a man whose criminal record is nearly as abysmal as his record on climate and energy policy.

Withdrawing the US from the Paris Climate Accords, slashing funding for clean energy, repealing the Obama-era Clean Power Plan, and proposing regressive energy policies that would have proved detrimental to our health, Donald Trump’s presidency was disastrous. And that’s just the short-list.

The transition to cleaner, cheaper, and more reliable energy—as well as our economic competitiveness—requires a strong leader committed to maintaining the momentum the Biden Administration and Democrats in Congress started over the last couple of years. A No Labels third-party ticket would give Donald Trump a second term and a veto on our progress on climate.

Check out our Twitter thread for a comprehensive breakdown of the memo and why it’s time we take this seriously.

Heavy industry, like production of steel, aluminum, and cement, accounts for nearly a quarter of all US emissions, a staggering statistic that demands bold and immediate action. That’s why last week, Third Way and BlueGreen Alliance convened Buy Clean America, a summit that brought together a diverse group of leaders, experts, and advocates to discuss how Buy Clean policies can significantly curb industrial emissions while reinvigorating local economies and the workers that power them.

As Third Way Visiting Fellow Tim Ryan affirmed, policies like Buy Clean give American workers the opportunity to play a crucial part in cutting carbon across heavy industry and make meaningful strides toward a safer, more reliable, affordable, and clean future for themselves and their children.

Equally important is the direct role that American workers will play in strengthening our capacity to export low-carbon materials and clean goods to meet growing demand. Not only is this important for American industries, but for global democracy. The imperative is clear, but securing our position as leaders in a carbon-competitive global marketplace will take time. However, with Buy Clean policies in place and the determination of US workers on our side, we’re on the right track.

You can learn more about Buy Clean here and by watching the full Buy Clean America Summit here.

For over a year, countries have reassessed their decarbonization strategies to cut dependence on Russian fossil fuels and strengthen their energy independence. While EU Member States were already committed to strengthening their climate and clean energy provisions before Russia's unprovoked war began, a renewed sense of urgency has pushed countries to consider much more ambitious targets. Through cooperation and partnership with the US, Member States can not only cut reliance on autocratic regimes and volatile oil markets, but also forge decades-long economic and diplomatic connections with reliable partners.

The pressing need to build relationships with dependable partners was a prevailing theme last week, when, co-founders for Carbon-Free Europe, Josh Freed, Senior Vice President for Third Way’s Climate and Energy Program, and Lindsey Walter, Director of International Policy, traveled to Poland and the Czech Republic to meet with senior officials and gain insight into the countries’ energy needs.

Here are 3 significant trends we’re seeing crop up across Europe:

1. When it comes to cooperation on clean energy, Europe wants reliability, not countries like Russia or China, that leverage energy as tools for geopolitical gain.
2. Central and Eastern Europe’s renewable capacity falls short as industrial and district heat demand surges, making their pursuit of affordable, reliable, secure, and, most importantly, domestic, sources of clean energy a daunting challenge to achieve.
3. High energy prices and tight budgets across Europe highlight the need for affordable clean energy solutions; however, Member States are not just pursuing the cheapest path to carbon neutrality. They are prioritizing long-term energy security with strategies that boost domestic manufacturing and energy production.

Adequate financing for clean energy is an overhanging issue in the EU, but despite this, they are actively pursuing a costly renewables-only approach. The newly introduced Net-Zero Industries Act excludes critical technologies like carbon removal and utilization and nuclear energy, which modeling from Carbon-Free Europe shows will cost over €80 billion a year more by 2050.

As the EU seeks alternatives to its fossil fuel dependence, it is in America's geopolitical, climate, and economic interest to help EU member states finance and acquire clean energy technologies. But before we can step up to the plate, here are three major actions we have to take to ensure we can have a meaningful impact:

1. Develop a robust financing package, stacking together private, public, and other financing mechanisms to help countries afford cutting-edge clean energy technologies.
2. License advanced nuclear reactors and other innovative technology to dispel any fears of importing untested technology.
3. Work with our European allies to develop a nuclear fuel supply chain that is not reliant on the Russian autocratic state.