Remove CEO of EV Manufacturer From Export Council, Senator Tells Biden
The Biden administration should remove Gareth Joyce, the CEO of electric vehicle manufacturer Proterra, from the President’s Export Council, said Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., citing Proterra’s bankruptcy filing in August. “It is unclear why Joyce, having overseen the failure of Proterra, should continue to advise you on issues of such great importance to our nation’s economic security and wellbeing,” Barrasso said.
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In an Oct. 11 letter to Biden, Barrasso said the administration is “playing political favorites with a company your administration has systematically promoted time and again since you took office.” He said the administration has had a former Proterra executive speak during the 2021 Leaders Summit on Climate, and administration officials, including Biden, have toured the company’s facility. Barrasso also noted that Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm served on Proterra's board months before her appointment.
He added that shareholders “saw this blatant promotion and favoritism of Proterra as a guarantee of the company’s future success,” but the company’s bankruptcy has “led to significant financial losses” for Wyoming communities and investors. “The Southern Teton Area Rapid Transit (START) system in my home state of Wyoming has been plagued by Proterra’s shortcomings,” Barrasso said, citing a news report that said START bought eight Proterra electric buses “to complement its fleet of 31…But none of the electric buses are running, and so the town’s transit system is relying on its diesel fleet.”
Barrasso asked Biden to answer a host of oversight questions, including why Joyce was appointed to the export council “in the first place” and whether the administration “can provide a detailed account of the decision-making process that led to the promotion and endorsement of Proterra.” “Given Proterra’s bankruptcy, it is clear that Mr. Joyce should be removed from your Export Council,” Barrasso said.
The White House and Proterra didn’t respond to requests for comment.