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Leader Schumer Unveils New Clean Cars For America Climate Proposal

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Leader Schumer’s new proposal would make clean cars and charging stations available to all Americans and will help meet carbon emissions targets scientists say we must reach to avoid most devastating effects of climate change, all while stimulating an American-made manufacturing supply chain for clean cars.

Published

6 years ago

October 25, 2019

Oakland Post

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY)

A Transformative Plan To Reduce Number Of Carbon-Emitting Cars On The Road, Create Jobs, And Accelerate Transition Net-Zero Carbon Emissions

Washington, D.C. – Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), along with Democratic Policy and Communications Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Ranking Member Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), a member of the Senate Democrats’ Special Committee on the Climate Crisis, today unveiled the Clean Cars For America Climate Proposal, a bold new initiative to accelerate the transition to net-zero carbon emissions by mid-century—a target scientists say we must reach to avoid the most devastating effects of climate change, but are currently off track to meet—by making clean cars and charging infrastructure accessible and affordable to all Americans.

Leader Schumer’s Clean Cars for America proposal has a broad coalition of support, from such stakeholders as leading environmental groups like the Sierra Club, the NRDC, and the League of Conservation Voters, as well as labor unions like the United Auto Workers and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and large auto companies like Ford and General Motors. The initiative would incentivize the transition to clean vehicles by providing significant discounts for clean vehicles when trading in a gas-powered vehicle, establishing a new grant program to states and localities to ensure all Americans have access to charging infrastructure, and providing robust incentives for manufacturers to build new factories or re-tool existing factories. The plan would result in 63 million fewer carbon-emitting cars. The plan is estimated to create tens of thousands of good-paying jobs in the United States.

The Clean Cars For America Climate Initiative would accelerate the critical transition to net-zero carbon emissions by mid-century by making electric vehicles and charging infrastructure accessible to all Americans, regardless of where they live and work, and would firmly establish the United States as the global leader in electric vehicle and battery manufacturing.

More information on Leader Schumer’s proposal can be found below and a more detailed summary of the proposal can be found here.

“Today I am announcing a bold new plan designed to reduce the number of carbon-emitting cars on the road, create thousands of good-paying jobs, and accelerate the transition to net-zero carbon emissions by mid-century—a target scientists say we must reach to avoid the most devastating effects of climate change,” said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer. “This proposal to bring clean cars to all of America will be a key component of the far-reaching climate legislation from Senate Democrats, and I’m proud it has a broad coalition of support from a diverse coalition of environmental, labor, and auto leaders. This proposal takes bold steps to confront the climate crisis, protect our planet, create tens of thousands of good-paying middle-class jobs, and would position the U.S. to lead the world in clean auto manufacturing.”

“Michigan automakers and workers are the best in the world and are leading the way in developing cutting-edge electric vehicles,” said Senator Stabenow. “We need a dramatic expansion in our electric charging infrastructure to accelerate the electric vehicle fleet of the future. These investments will help create new jobs and reduce carbon pollution as we combat the climate crisis.”

“American workers are the best in the world, and with a real investment in new auto technology, can make the safest, the cleanest, the most reliable and the most fuel efficient cars in the world,” said Senator Brown. “In Ohio, we’ve seen too many autoworkers – in Lordstown, Mansfield and throughout the state—see their jobs shift overseas when companies decide to invest in new technology. This plan would ensure we build the next generation of clean cars in America and bolster our economy while also supporting American autoworkers and preventing more jobs from moving overseas.”

“At a time when the effects of climate chaos are all around us in the form of out-of-control wildfires, extreme droughts, and deadly hurricanes, families across America are looking for ways to reduce the carbon emissions that are driving the crisis,” said Senator Merkley. “One of the best ways is to trade in gas-powered cars for plug-in cars. This legislation will help families make that trade—a switch that will help save our planet.”

“With communities around the country suffering the ravages of climate change and communities of color and low-income communities bearing the brunt of those impacts and health effects of air pollution, Democratic Leader Schumer’s proposal is a big and welcome piece of a needed solution,” said Tiernan Sittenfeld, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs at the League of Conservation Voters (LCV). “This comes at a critical time and stands in stark contrast with the Trump Administration’s efforts to roll back clean car standards and stand in the way of American innovation. We need both strong standards for tailpipe emissions from the EPA and incentives like these to clean up our transportation sector.”

“The only way we can tackle the climate crisis is by leaving no one behind — that includes workers and those most impacted by pollution. Leader Schumer’s Clean Cars for America legislation boldly addresses pollution from the transportation sector while continuing to grow the booming clean energy economy, and the Sierra Club is proud to support it,” said Gina Coplon-Newfield, Director of Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All campaign.

“This bold measure would accelerate the transition to clean electric vehicles and help ensure that American workers play a central part in building them,” said Luke Tonachel, Director of Clean Vehicles and Fuels at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “Coupled with stronger clean car standards, this proposal would help deliver the vehicles we need to cut drivers’ fuel costs, clean our air and address the dangers of climate change.”

“In order to confront the climate crisis, we must urgently deploy cleaner electric vehicles. We support Senator Schumer’s efforts to help more people, particularly low- and medium-income families, make the switch from conventional vehicles to electric vehicles and to ensure that the US maintains a leadership role in this transition. We look forward to working with him further on this proposal,” said Michelle Robinson, Director of Clean Transportation Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

“Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s Clean Cars for America honors the sweat and sacrifice of American autoworkers by investing in domestic manufacturing of electric vehicles and incentivizing high quality jobs across the auto supply chain,” said Gary Jones, President of the United Auto Workers.

“Reducing carbon emissions in the United States and around the world is not only a challenge, but a great opportunity to modernize our nation’s infrastructure, reinvigorate domestic manufacturing, and create hundreds of thousands of well-paying, family-supporting union jobs. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), the largest energy union in the world, supports Leader Schumer’s plan to reduce carbon emissions in the transportation sector by investing in American workers and directing federal resources that will make the United States the global leader in electric vehicle infrastructure and EV manufacturing,” said Lonnie Stephenson, International President from the International Brotherhood of Electric Workers.

“Over the past month we’ve seen autoworkers nationwide stand up to ensure that the vehicles of the future are built in America and that manufacturing once again provides good-paying jobs,” said Zoe Lipman, Director of the Vehicles and Advanced Transportation Program at the BlueGreen Alliance. “We cannot rebuild prosperity if we fall behind the rest of the world in building the technologies of the future. That’s why Congress needs to act—through measures like Senator Schumer’s proposed Clean Cars for America package—on an agenda that makes leadership and investment in advanced and electric vehicles, technology, manufacturing, and good jobs in America a priority.”

“We appreciate Leader Schumer’s efforts to drive America toward a more electrified, low carbon future,” said Curt Magleby, Vice President, U.S. Government Relations, Ford Motor Company. “Ford is investing $11.5 billion to grow our electrified vehicle portfolio, which includes iconic models our customers know and love. Just last week we announced that our all-electric vehicle customers will have access to the largest public charging network in the U.S. We look forward to working in a bipartisan way to help shape this proposal.”

“General Motors believes in an all-electric, zero-emissions future. Driving towards that vision, we will continue investing in manufacturing and dedicating significant resources to bolster infrastructure here in the United States. We appreciate the leadership of Senator Schumer and his efforts to advance electrification through much-needed infrastructure investments, consumer incentives and promotion of American electric vehicle manufacturing,” said Liz Reicherts, Vice President, External Affairs

There are three major components to Leader Schumer’s proposal:

Making clean vehicles affordableby giving consumers a substantial cash voucher to trade-in their gas-powered cars and buy a U.S.-assembled and affordable plug-in electric, plug-in hybrid, or hydrogen fuel cell car.
Making charging infrastructure accessiblethrough a new grant program to states and localities to ensure all Americans have access to charging infrastructure.
Reasserting U.S. leadership in clean car manufacturingwith robust incentives for manufacturers to build new factories or re-tool existing factories in the United States to assemble zero-emission vehicles or manufacture charging equipment.

This announcement follows a number of Democratic efforts to meaningfully confront the climate change crisis, including Senate Democrats’ forced vote to repeal the Trump administration’s “Affordable Clean Energy Rule,” the administration’s latest attempt to significantly weaken important carbon emissions standards for power plants, a pledge from Leader Schumer to invest in climate in any infrastructure bill, and the establishment of the Senate Democrats’ Special Committee on the Climate Crisis, chaired by Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI).

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COMMENTARY: Women of Color Shape Our Past and Future

MINNESOTA SPOKESMAN RECORDER — Every March, Women’s History Month invites us to pause and honor the women whose courage, intellect, and leadership have shaped our world. This year, that invitation feels especially urgent. We are living in a time when history is being rewritten, when DEI is being recast as a threat, and when the stories we choose to uplift matter more than ever. The stories of women of color must be centered, celebrated, and carried forward with intention.

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2 days ago

March 9, 2026

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Women of Color Leadership Shapes the Legacy of Women’s History Month

By Dr. Sharon M. Holder | Minnesota Spokesman Recorder

Women’s History Month offers an opportunity to recognize the enduring impact of women of color leadership across history and in the present day. From Harriet Tubman and Shirley Chisholm to today’s leaders in science, politics and culture, women of color continue to shape movements, institutions and communities through courage, collaboration and vision.

Every March, Women’s History Month invites us to pause and honor the women whose courage, intellect, and leadership have shaped our world. This year, that invitation feels especially urgent. We are living in a time when history is being rewritten, when DEI is being recast as a threat, and when the stories we choose to uplift matter more than ever. The stories of women of color must be centered, celebrated, and carried forward with intention.

For centuries, women of color have been architects of progress, even when history tried to confine them to the margins. They have led movements, built institutions, transformed culture, and expanded the boundaries of justice, leadership, and community. Their contributions are not postscripts; they are landmarks. Yet too often, their brilliance has been acknowledged only in hindsight. Women’s History Month offers a chance to correct that imbalance, not only by remembering the past, but by recognizing their leadership unfolding before us.

This legacy lives in Harriet Tubman, whose courage and strategic brilliance transformed the Underground Railroad into one of the boldest freedom operations in American history. In Barbara Jordan, whose moral clarity reshaped the nation’s understanding of justice and constitutional responsibility. In Madam C. J. Walker, expanding both the beauty industry and the economic horizons of Black women. It dances in Josephine Baker, who challenged racism and resisted fascism. In Ida B. Wells and Dolores Huerta, who wielded truth and determination in pursuit of justice. In Chien-Shiung Wu, whose experiments altered science, and Shirley Chisholm, whose political courage expanded the very definition of leadership. These women did more than break barriers; they built new worlds.

A powerful throughline in the leadership of women of color is how they lead: collaboratively, creatively, relationally, and with deep responsibility to community. Their leadership is grounded not in hierarchy but in connection, in the belief that progress is something we build together.

We see this in Kamala Harris, whose presence expands the boundaries of possibility; in Ketanji Brown Jackson; in Oprah Winfrey; and in Toni Morrison, who insisted that the interior lives of Black women are essential to the human story. It resonates in Simone Biles and Serena Williams, redefining strength through excellence and self-belief.

Today, women of color continue to drive breakthroughs in medicine, technology, the arts, politics, and environmental justice. Their leadership appears not only in boardrooms or public office, but in mentorship, advocacy, and the daily navigation of systems never designed for them. The spirit shines in Mae Jemison and Ellen Ochoa; in Michelle Obama; and in the brilliance of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, and Christine Darden, whose work helped launch a nation into space.

Celebration is important, but it is not enough. Honoring women of color requires intentional action rooted in equity. It means creating environments where their voices are valued, challenging the biases that shape who is recognized, and ensuring progress is shared.

As we celebrate Women’s History Month, let us honor women of color not as symbols, but as leaders whose work continues to guide us. When we uplift women of color, we honor history and shape the future.

Dr. Sharon M. Holder lives in South Carolina. She holds a PhD/MPhil in Gerontology from the Center for Research on Aging at the University of Southampton, UK; a Master of Science in Gerontology from the Institute of Gerontology at King’s College London, UK; and a Master of Social Work from the Graduate College of Social Work at the University of Houston, Texas.

Dr. Holder discovered her love of poetry at the University of Houston–Downtown, where she published in The Bayou Review and the Anthology of Poetry. Today, she writes poetry as a practice of gratitude alongside her academic research.

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Woman’s Search for Family’s Roots Leads to Ancestor John T. Ward – A Successful Entrepreneur and Conductor on the Underground Railroad

THE AFRO — For years, she wanted to know more about her ancestor John T. Ward, she said, and her curiosity eventually became an obsession, leading her to become the genealogist for her family. And so, for more than a decade, she set out to trace her family’s roots and discovered a story that would change her life and the way she viewed American history.

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2 days ago

March 9, 2026

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By D. Kevin McNeir | Special to The AFRO

Shanna Ward, the owner of a publishing company and insurance agency located in Columbus, Ohio, said the elders in her family often say she inherited her entrepreneurial spirit from one of their ancestors – a formerly enslaved child from Virginia whose freedom came through manumission in 1827.

For years, she wanted to know more about her ancestor John T. Ward, she said, and her curiosity eventually became an obsession, leading her to become the genealogist for her family. And so, for more than a decade, she set out to trace her family’s roots and discovered a story that would change her life and the way she viewed American history.

John T. Ward would help others secure their freedom and justice in his roles as a conductor on the Underground Railroad, an abolitionist, and political activist. But realizing that economic freedom was essential to his and his family’s survival, he and his son founded the Ward Transfer Line in 1881 (now E.E. Ward Moving) – one of America’s oldest Black-owned businesses. While it has transferred ownership, the business remains in operation today.

Shanna Ward recently published a book about her ancestor, “The Bequest of John T. Ward,” which she hopes can be added to other unheralded tales of Black resistance that occurred during America’s antebellum period.

“Originally, I just wanted to write a 100-page story when I first began digging and was encouraged after I found a copy of a will dated 1827 which included him and was a rare example of a mass manumission,” Shanna Ward said. “Three of the slaves, including John’s grandfather, were given about 294 acres of land in the will, but all the former slaves were supposed to remain on the plantation until their 21st birthday. Some refused to remain. That’s how our family got to Ohio.”

Ward said she learned that newly freed Blacks, including her ancestors in Ohio, had to fend for themselves and often did so with amazing results given the obstacles they faced.

“In those days there were no civil rights organizations, and in local communities, Blacks formed and supported Black-owned businesses, took their own census recordings, and became involved in local politics – all without White involvement,” she said.

BOOK COVER: The cover of the book “The Bequest of John T. Ward,” written by Shanna Ward about her ancestor who, as a child, was granted his freedom in 1827 and went on to become a successful business owner in Ohio, a political activist, and a conductor on the historic Underground Railroad.

“There is part of Ohio where, during the days of slavery, if you successfully crossed the river you were free,” she said. “That was where Black life began – across the river in freedom. When we understand ourselves as more than property and uncover tales of survival which are the foundation of our legacy, then we can better understand who we are and what our ancestors endured. We are stronger than we are often led to believe.”

Efforts among African Americans to learn their family roots have increased over the past several decades, particularly given the success of the PBS documentary, “Finding Your Roots,” hosted and narrated by Harvard University professor Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr.

On the show’s website, Gates said he developed the show in 2012 in efforts to continue his quest to “get into the DNA of American culture.”

In each episode, celebrities view ancestral histories and share their emotional experience with viewers. Gates attributes the success of the show to a significant surge in interest among Black Americans in tracing their family roots and a desire to reconnect with ancestral history that was severed by slavery.

JOHN T. WARD: John T. Ward, the historic patriarch in a family whose roots can be traced to the days of slavery in Virginia, is the subject of a new book written by a member of his proud family, Shanna Ward, called “The Bequest of John T. Ward.”

“Advancements in DNA testing have increased accessibility of records and led to a cultural push to reclaim identity beyond the ‘brick wall’ of 1870,” said Gates who noted that the 1870 U.S. Census represents the first time former slaves were listed by name and, unfortunately, serves as the point where records of their lives often stop and cannot be traced any earlier.

In a recent paper published in the journal “American Anthropologist,” University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign anthropology professor LaKisha David posits that by using genetic genealogy, African Americans now have the real possibility of restoring family narratives that were disrupted, severed and destroyed by institutional slavery.

“For African Americans who have grown up with a sense of ancestral loss and disconnection, this reclamation of family history is deeply humanizing and healing,” she writes. “It replaces the genealogical unknown with tangible knowledge of ancestral histories and kinship ties.

“Identifying African ancestors and living relatives is an act of restorative justice. It is ultimately about (re)claiming the humanity, dignity, and agency of enslaved Africans and their descendants, which is an essential component of repairing the harms of slavery.”

Ward said by uncovering her family’s truth, she has established a platform for education and empowerment for herself, her children, and today’s youth.

“I realized how important it is to pass down our own stories to the next generation,” Ward said. “There’s so much our children need to know about the Underground Railroad, the quilt codes created by Black women, and other examples of unrecorded heroics and bravery exhibited by Black men and women. Their collective efforts led to the end of Jim Crow laws and the securing of equal rights in the U.S. Constitution for African Americans. If you look hard enough, I believe everyone has someone like Harriet Tubman or Frederick Douglass in their family.”

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Advocates Raise Alarm Over ICE Operation, MOU and Detention Risks in Baltimore County

THE AFRO — “This is highly problematic given many of the charges that land people in county correctional facilities to begin with are for misdemeanors of which they may not even ultimately be proven guilty and convicted,” said Cathryn Ann Paul Jackson, public policy director for We Are CASA. “It results in a subversion of the local criminal justice system as a means to further racial profiling and do ICE’s dirty work.”

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2 days ago

March 9, 2026

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By Megan Sayles | AFRO Staff Writer
msayles@afro.com

As U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) operations intensify nationwide, community organizations have become the eyes and ears of their neighborhoods—monitoring the agency’s presence and alerting residents to protect themselves and their neighbors.

In Baltimore County, nonprofits like We Are CASA have observed a spectrum of enforcement actions.

“We have seen a range of activity, including traffic stops and ICE showing up in neighborhoods or in seeming response to tips,” said Cathryn Ann Paul Jackson, public policy director for We Are CASA. “Beyond actual ICE activity in Baltimore County, we have seen many detentions of Baltimore County residents across the DMV, as community members tend to travel across counties and cities for work.”

We Are CASA, a national nonprofit headquartered in Maryland, is dedicated to empowering and improving the quality of life for working-class Black, Latino, Afro-descendent, Indigenous and immigrant communities. Jackson’s personal connection to this mission led her to the organization. A daughter of immigrants from Guyana and Trinidad, she said she grew up witnessing firsthand how immigration policy can define families’ safety, opportunity and sense of belonging.

She said the locations and times of ICE operations in Baltimore County have varied over time.

“We have consistently seen ICE arrest people at their check-in appointments, which were ironically created as an alternative to detention and are now being abused to trap people into custody,” said Jackson. “For a period of time, we were witnessing a significant amount of arrests along the Baltimore-Washington Parkway by U.S. Park Police, who were using a previously rarely enforced law against driving commercial vehicles on this road as a pretext to profile immigrant drivers, detain them and hand them over to ICE.”

Last fall, Baltimore County entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with ICE, removing the locality from the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) sanctuary jurisdictions list and formalizing a policy for notifying ICE before the release of inmates with federal immigration detainers or judge-signed warrants.

The agreement codified an existing practice within the Baltimore County Department of Corrections. The MOU is not a 287(g) agreement, which is a partnership between local law enforcement and ICE to delegate immigration enforcement authority to police officers. Those agreements were banned by the state of Maryland on Feb. 17.

However, Jackson criticized the policy memorialized in the MOU, saying that although it is carefully drafted to avoid legal violations, it effectively allows detention centers to hold people past their court-ordered release so that ICE can take them into custody.

“This is highly problematic given many of the charges that land people in county correctional facilities to begin with are for misdemeanors of which they may not even ultimately be proven guilty and convicted,” said Jackson. “It results in a subversion of the local criminal justice system as a means to further racial profiling and do ICE’s dirty work.”

Baltimore County has said it entered into the MOU in an effort to preserve its access to federal funding. The locality explained its reasoning on a FAQ page about its removal from the DOJ’s sanctuary jurisdictions list.

“Inclusion on DOJ’s list could risk significant federal funding, on which the county and constituents depend,” the entry read. “Signing the MOU ensures that the county avoids risks to federal funding that is used to provide needed services.”

Baltimore County’s removal is not unique, as neither Maryland nor any of its counties appear on the DOJ’s list. Still, community members worry that the county’s MOU with ICE could lead to wrongful detentions and the misidentification of residents.

Immigration detainers are not always confirmation of a person’s immigration status—or lack thereof. They are requests by ICE that can be issued without a judicial determination and do not, on their own, establish a person’s legal status.

“We’re very concerned about errors occurring here in the county because of the amped up nature of this mass deportation push,” said Patterson. “This is a replacement theory-driven immigration policy. That means that at the same time we are importing White South African Afrikaaners—who at one time essentially colonized South Africa and oppressed Black South Africans—we are fast deporting people of color. All of us who are the minority can be mistaken for ‘unlawful immigrants.’”

The recent escalation in Minneapolis has heightened Patterson’s concern. He said the city has effectively been made a battleground.

Patterson said the Baltimore County NAACP wants the public to recognize that ICE operates as a militarized organization, unlike local police. He urged people to consider avoiding areas where ICE is active whenever possible and to exercise caution if they encounter agents. If approached, Patterson stressed that people verify warrants are properly signed and directed at them, assert their right to remain silent and contact an attorney before answering questions or consenting to searches.

He also encouraged residents to notify the Baltimore County NAACP of any encounters with ICE.

“We don’t want to wait for Minnesota in Maryland before speaking out about this,” said Patterson. “We want to equip our people to protect themselves behaviorally, consciously and conscientiously because these things are coming to pass. The imprint is among us and we need, therefore, to be aware.”