US Needs ‘Resilient’ Supply Chain for EV Batteries, Says USTR Tai

Developing innovative environmental technologies, goods and services and “cultivating strategic international supply chains” for trade will be key to “climate mitigation,” U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai told a Center for American Progress event Thursday. “From clean energy, to low-emission vehicles and other technologies, reliable access to these goods and services will be essential for our transition to net zero by 2050,” she said. That’s why she said she's “so committed” to helping resolve the “big trade dispute” between LG and SK Innovation, two South Korean companies that make electric vehicle batteries in the U.S. The settlement she helped broker last weekend (see 2104120018) “was a big win for American workers, the environment and our competitive future,” said Tai. “We need a strong, diversified, and resilient supply chain of electric vehicle batteries in America to meet the growing global demand and to expand U.S. manufacturing of clean energy vehicles. This settlement puts the country in a stronger position to drive innovation and growth of clean energy technology.”