Green energy and EV taxpayer-funded handouts from SOAR Critical Industry Program promised thousands of jobs that never transpired

Three years after lawmakers created the Strategic Outreach Attraction Reserve Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said would "create tens of thousands of good paying jobs," not a single one has materialized.

Michigan taxpayers have shelled out more than $670 million to five multibillion companies to prop up the electric vehicle and renewable energy industries in Michigan with a promise to create a total of 8,812 jobs, but a report from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation that oversees the spending shows zero "actual qualified jobs created."

"The program was poorly designed from the start," said James Hohman, director of fiscal policy at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. "It allows companies to cash in on taxpayer subsidies without having to create jobs. Lawmakers must wait years to ask for taxpayer money back if deals fail to deliver. It's good that House lawmakers are working to redirect this money to roads."

The taxpayer funded incentives through SOAR's Critical Industry Program include $480 million for General Motors to create 1,840 jobs, $120 million for Ultium Cells to create 1,360, $125 million for CCP-linked Gotion to create 2,350, $200 million for Our Next Energy to create 2,112, and $68 million for Solar Technology to create 1,150.

MEDC has disbursed the full amounts for GM, Ultium Cells, and Our Next Energy, while no payments have yet been made to Gotion or Solar Technology, according to the report, which covers fiscal year 2024 that ended Sept. 30.

The incentive deals were negotiated in secret by the Whitmer administration and select lawmakers through non-disclosure agreements mandated by the MEDC, which is controlled by an executive committee appointed by Whitmer.

"I am proud to sign another bipartisan bill that will build on Michigan's growing economic momentum, attract billions in investment, and create tens of thousands of good paying jobs," the governor said when she approved legislation to fund SOAR in 2022. "The bipartisan legislation will help us grow, attract, and retain businesses in Michigan, ensuring we can lead the future of mobility and electrification and bring supply chains of chips and batteries home to Michigan."