On April 2, less than two weeks before Biden’s deadline, Ossoff flew from Atlanta to Washington to meet with the chief executive of SK Innovation for more than three hours to prod the company to strike a deal and outline several potential pathways to an agreement.
At stake was no less than a cornerstone of Biden’s $2.3 trillion infrastructure program, which aims to rev up the nation’s electric vehicle supply chain. But it required intense negotiations between two firms with a long history of distrust over accusations of stealing trade secrets and destroying documents.Ossoff, the newly elected Democrat from Georgia, figured a presidential veto was a long shot at best and instead set about trying to broker a negotiated settlement between SK Innovation and LG Energy, according to three senior officials familiar with the discussions.The pact also spares Biden of a difficult decision that could have alienated voters in Georgia, a state he narrowly won in November and is primed to be one of the nation’s most competitive political battlegrounds in 2022.The $1.8 billion settlement announced Sunday allows SK Innovation to complete construction of sprawling factories that will supply batteries for Ford and Volkswagen electric vehicles and serve as a key part of Biden’s plan to build U.S.-based infrastructure for electric vehicles.Jon Ossoff took a different approach, one that the manufacturer’s top executive credited for helping to end the rift. Most Georgia politicians joined calls urging President Joe Biden to veto a trade commission decision that was in favor of the company’s adversary, LG Energy Solution, which would have torpedoed the project, one of the largest economic development deals in state history.trade dispute, Georgia officials grew increasingly worried a $2.6 billion SK Innovation project in Commerce that could employ 2,600 people would fall victim to the intractable feud. As two rival South Korean industrial giants barreled toward a Sunday deadline still locked in a bitter U.S.Read more from the AJC’s Greg Bluestein : Ossoff jumpstarted negotiations that were at an impasse a week ago to secure a deal and save the 2,600 Georgia jobs, working behind the scenes to secure a settlement that saved the Georgia battery plant ahead of the April 11 presidential veto deadline. Over multiple meetings with senior executives from both companies and in close consultation with senior Biden Administration officials, Sen. Senator Jon Ossoff brought both sides back to the table to reach a deal, saving 2,600 skilled jobs in Georgia and billions of dollars of future investment in the state. This morning, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution dove into the intense final week of negotiations between SK International and LG Energy Solutions, detailing how U.S. President Biden called Ossoff to confirm a deal had been reached and to thank him for his efforts SK President and CEO: “When the future of the plant was in jeopardy, Senator Ossoff provided leadership and helped us achieve a path forward.” Ossoff jumpstarted negotiations that were at an impasse a week ago to secure a deal and save 2,600 Georgia jobs
0 kommentar(er)
