{"id":1082321,"date":"2021-12-03T23:13:51","date_gmt":"2021-12-04T04:13:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1082321"},"modified":"2021-12-03T23:13:58","modified_gmt":"2021-12-04T04:13:58","slug":"the-proterra-scandal-deepens-kamala-harris-pete-buttigieg-team-up-to-promote-electric-bus-company-mired-in-jennifer-granholm-connections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-proterra-scandal-deepens-kamala-harris-pete-buttigieg-team-up-to-promote-electric-bus-company-mired-in-jennifer-granholm-connections\/","title":{"rendered":"The Proterra Scandal Deepens: Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg Team up to Promote Electric Bus Company Mired in Jennifer Granholm Connections"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">40<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthe-proterra-scandal-deepens-kamala-harris-pete-buttigieg-team-up-to-promote-electric-bus-company-mired-in-jennifer-granholm-connections%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1082321&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"subheading\">Vice President Kamala Harris and Transportation Secretary&nbsp;Pete&nbsp;Buttigieg joined forces on Thursday to promote Proterra, a Burlingame, California-based electric bus company&nbsp;that Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm previously sat on the board of and held stock in, which&nbsp;garnered her $1.6 million when she&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2021\/05\/27\/energy-secretary-jennifer-granholm-sells-electric-bus-maker-stock-after-republican-pushback\/\">finally<\/a>&nbsp;divested them 157 days after her nomination.<\/p>\n<p>This happened during an event at&nbsp;Charlotte Area Transit System in&nbsp;Charlotte, North Carolina that was meant to&nbsp;tout the&nbsp;\u201cmarquee legislation\u201d&nbsp;in President Joe Biden\u2019s legislative agenda \u2014 the&nbsp;infrastructure bill and the reconciliation package \u2014 from&nbsp;two of Biden\u2019s&nbsp;highest-profile cabinet members.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p>While at the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/vp\/status\/1466450762100355078?s=21\">event<\/a>,&nbsp;not only were the Proterra busses used&nbsp;as a backdrop but&nbsp;for their event, but Harris even sat in the driver\u2019s seat and honked the horn with&nbsp;Buttigieg in the back and sang, \u201cThe wheels on the bus go round and round,\u201d which an&nbsp;NBC-affiliated television station, WYFF, caught on camera.&nbsp;A pool reporter with the vice president reported Harris called the busses&nbsp;\u201cvery user-friendly\u201d and was amazed over how quick the breaks work on the busses.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"6.4109589041096\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Kamala Harris, singing: \u201cThe wheels on the bus go round and round\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/QPHfAXPbby\">pic.twitter.com\/QPHfAXPbby<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RNCResearch\/status\/1466496923024695297?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 2, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>However, this is not the first time Proterra or Proterra related products have been on the center stage during an event with officials from the Biden administration.&nbsp;Granholm \u2014 who oversees moving the country toward an electric vehicle transportation system and enjoys newfound powers after the passage of the infrastructure package \u2014 along with the administration&nbsp;has been criticized for promoting Proterra in their official capacities.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>Breitbart News <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2021\/11\/23\/jennifer-granholm-under-fire-for-promoting-proterra-an-electric-vehicle-company-she-served-on-board-of-and-held-stock-in\/\">extensively reported<\/a>&nbsp;on the&nbsp;question of Granholm\u2019s relationship with Proterra came under scrutiny again on April 20, when President Biden raised the company\u2019s profile by virtually <a class=\"x5l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.proterra.com\/proterra-video\/proterra-hosts-president-biden-for-virtual-tour-of-ev-manufacturing-facility\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\">touring<\/a> Proterra\u2019s Greenville, South Carolina, factory to support the administration\u2019s push for electric buses. The day before, on&nbsp;April 19,&nbsp;Harris&nbsp;<a class=\"x5l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.schoolbusfleet.com\/10141979\/thomas-built-buses-gets-visit-from-vice-president-harris-during-earth-week\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\">toured<\/a>&nbsp;Thomas Built Buses, a subsidiary of Daimler, heavily invested in Proterra. Both of which happened before Granholm&nbsp;sold her stake in Proterra, 88 days after her confirmation and 157 days after her nomination, where she reportedly&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2021\/05\/27\/energy-secretary-jennifer-granholm-sells-electric-bus-maker-stock-after-republican-pushback\/\">netted<\/a> a capital gain of $1.6 million, according to the Department of Energy.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"video-src-attr\">C-SPAN<\/span><\/p>\n<p>After the $1.6 million worth of stock was sold, Biden traveled to a Municipal Transit Utility in Wisconsin on&nbsp;June 29 to promote&nbsp;his infrastructure plan where his tour of the&nbsp;Proterra factory \u201cin the Carolinas,\u201d was mentioned. Then on&nbsp;November 1,&nbsp;both Granholm and Harris&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2021\/11\/01\/vp-kamala-harris-headlines-electric-trucks-event-border-encounters-illegal-aliens-up-314-percent\/\">traveled<\/a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;New York to announce $127 million in grant recipients from the Department of Energy. Both&nbsp;Granholm and Harris&nbsp;stood in front of a&nbsp;<a class=\"x5l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ahip5tGgcHA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\">backdrop<\/a>&nbsp;of Proterra buses.&nbsp;Breitbart News reported that&nbsp;over 60 percent of the grants when to &nbsp;Proterra-linked companies.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"video-src-attr\">C-SPAN<\/span><\/p>\n<p>However, it remains unclear if&nbsp;Granholm&nbsp;sought or was granted an ethics waiver regarding the Biden administration\u2019s promotion of Proterra at any point in time since&nbsp;Granholm is <a class=\"x5l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/cfr\/text\/5\/2635.501\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\">required<\/a> to consult ethics officials and receive proper approval before participating in any matter involving \u201cspecific parties which [she] knows is likely to affect the financial interests of a member of [her] household.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While it remains unclear as to why the Biden administration continues to promote&nbsp;Proterra, the company <a href=\"https:\/\/www.proterra.com\/press-release\/charlotte-douglas-international-airport-becomes-ninth-airport-to-purchase-proterra-battery-electric-buses-for-ground-transportation\/\">announced<\/a> in June of 2019 that the Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) would be buying busses to be used with their ground transportation. However, the busses are full of problems.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_19002802\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" readability=\"36\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/GettyImages-1236964788.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-19002802\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/GettyImages-1236964788.jpg\" alt width=\"1920\" height=\"1355\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Vice President Kamala Harris (left) and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (right) tour the electric vehicle operations at Charlotte Area Transit Systems bus garage in Charlotte, North Carolina on December 2, 2020. (LOGAN CYRUS\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_19002810\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" readability=\"38\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/GettyImages-1236964627.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-19002810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/GettyImages-1236964627.jpg\" alt width=\"1920\" height=\"1225\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg speaks after touring the electric vehicle operations at Charlotte Area Transit Systems bus garage with Vice President Kamala Harris, on December 2, 2021, in Charlotte, North Carolina. (LOGAN CYRUS\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_19002818\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" readability=\"32\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/GettyImages-1236964373.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-19002818\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/GettyImages-1236964373.jpg\" alt width=\"1920\" height=\"1274\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">(LOGAN CYRUS\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_19002826\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" readability=\"32\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/GettyImages-1236964259.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-19002826\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/GettyImages-1236964259.jpg\" alt width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">(LOGAN CYRUS\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cIt appears as though the Biden Administration is continuing to promote Proterra, the company connected to Energy Secretary Granholm. It is a positive sign that Transportation Secretary Buttigieg has replaced Secretary Granholm considering her conflicts of interest with the firm,\u201d Michael Chamberlain, the director of the government watchdog group, Protect the Public\u2019s Trust, told Breitbart News exclusively.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe hope this is a harbinger that the Administration is moving in the right direction with respect to potential conflicts of interest involving high-ranking appointees. Despite this seemingly positive development there remain several outstanding complaints filed by Protect the Public\u2019s Trust regarding Administration officials\u2019 potential conflicts,\u201d&nbsp;Chamberlain added.<\/p>\n<p>The Washington Free Beacon <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/biden-administration\/report-philadelphias-proterra-fleet-in-complete-shambles\/\">reported<\/a> that the city of&nbsp;Philadelphia, which spent&nbsp;$24 million for the 25 new Proterra buses, had to sideline the&nbsp;entire fleet by&nbsp;the city\u2019s transit authority in February of last year, \u201cdue to both structural and logistical problems\u2014the weight of the powerful battery was cracking the vehicles\u2019 chassis, and the battery life was insufficient for the city\u2019s bus routes.\u201d The report noted that the city brought the issues to&nbsp;Proterra, but they failed to&nbsp;address the concerns. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.duluthmonitor.com\/2020\/09\/19\/electric-bus-pilot-project-reveals-problems\/\">Additionally<\/a>, in&nbsp;Duluth,&nbsp;Minnesota, the buses were also taken off of the road since the bus\u2019s brakes, which the vice president promoted on Thursday, could not handle the&nbsp;city\u2019s hills.<\/p>\n<p>As a result of this, the city of&nbsp;Charlotte, using grants from&nbsp;Bloomberg Philanthropies and others, in order to \u201ckick-off a 12-to-18-month pilot program to test 18 BEB vehicles from three different manufacturers,\u201d one being&nbsp;eTransEnergy,&nbsp;to be used around the city.<\/p>\n<p><i>Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow him on <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jacobmbliss\"><i>Twitter<\/i><\/a><i>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Vice President Kamala Harris and Transportation Secretary\u00a0Pete\u00a0Buttigieg joined forces on Thursday to promote Proterra, a Burlingame, California-based electric bus company\u00a0that Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm previously sat on the board of &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1082321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1082321","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1082321"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1082321\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1082321"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1082321"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1082321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}