Energy Department cancels $200M grant to battery maker after GOP criticizes alleged ties to China
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Biden administration has scrapped plans to award a $200 million grant to a US battery maker amid criticism from Republican lawmakers over the company’s alleged ties to China. Texas-based MicroVast was one of 20 companies to win a $2.8 billion seed grant to boost domestic manufacturing of batteries for electric vehicles. The company is building a battery plant in Tennessee and is in talks with the Department of Energy for a $200 million grant funded through a 2021 infrastructure law. A spokeswoman for Energy Secretary Jennifer...