Harris announces a new plan to empower Black men as she tries to energize them to vote for her

ERIE, Pa. (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris announced a plan on Monday to give Black men more economic opportunities and other chances to thrive as she works to energize a key voting bloc that has Democrats concerned about a lack of enthusiasm.

Harris' plan includes providing forgivable business loans for Black entrepreneurs, creating more apprenticeships and studying sickle cell and other diseases that disproportionately affect African American men.

Harris already has said she supports legalizing marijuana and her plan calls for working to ensure that Black men have opportunities to participate as a “national cannabis industry takes shape.” She also is calling for better regulating cryptocurrency to protect Black men and others who invest in digital assets.

The vice president's “opportunity agenda for Black men” is meant to invigorate African American males at a moment when there are fears some may sit out the election rather than vote for Harris or her opponent, Republican former President Donald Trump.

The vice president unveiled the plan as she visited Erie, Pennsylvania, where she stopped by LegendErie Records and Coffee House, a Black-owned small business, for a conversation with Black men from the area.

The business, opened just five weeks ago, is the project of Ishmael and Allana Trainor, a married couple of Erie natives who returned to their hometown after living for years in Arizona.

Later, Harris held a campaign rally in the northwest Pennsylvania city, where she pilloried Trump for suggesting in a weekend Fox News interview that the U.S. military may need to be deployed to quell an “enemy from within” if Election Day is disturbed by agitators.

Her push comes after former President Barack Obama suggested last week that some Black men “aren’t feeling the idea of having a woman as president.”

The Harris campaign also has been working to increase support among other male voting blocs, including Hispanics, by founding the group “Hombres con Harris,” Spanish for “Men with Harris.” The latest policy rollout is notable because it comes with the stated purpose of motivating Black men to vote mere weeks before Election Day.

As her campaign has done with the “Hombres” group, Harris’ team plans to organize gender-specific gatherings. Those include “Black Men Huddle Up” events in battleground states featuring African American male celebrities for things like watch parties for NFL and NCAA football games. The campaign says it also plans new testimonial ads in battleground states that feature local Black male voices.

Cedric Richmond, co-chair of the Harris campaign and a former Louisiana congressman who is Black, said Harris wants to build an economy "where Black men are equipped with the tools to thrive: to buy a home, provide for our families, start a business and build wealth.”

Black Americans strongly supported Joe Biden when he beat Trump in 2020. Harris advisers say they are less worried about losing large percentages of Black male support to the former president than that some will choose not to turn out at all.

Trump, too, has stepped up efforts to win over Black and Hispanic voters of both genders. He has held roundtables with Black entrepreneurs in swing states and will sit for a townhall sponsored by Spanish-language Univision this week. He also has sought to openly stoke racial divisions, repeatedly suggesting that immigrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally are taking jobs from Black and Hispanic Americans.

Harris' new round of proposals includes a promise that, if elected, she will help distribute 1 million loans of up to $20,000 that can be fully forgivable to Black entrepreneurs and others who have strong ideas to start businesses. The loans would come via new partnerships between the Small Business Administration and community leaders and banks “with a proven commitment to their communities,” her campaign says.

The vice president also wants to offer federal incentives to encourage more African American men to train to be teachers, citing statistics that Black males made up only a bit more than 1% of the nation's public school teaching ranks in 2020-21, according to data from the National Teacher and Principal Survey.

Harris also is pledging to expand existing federal programs that forgive some educational loans for public service to further encourage more Black male teachers. She also wants to use organizations like the National Urban League, local governments and the private sector to expand apprenticeships and credentialing opportunities in Black communities.

The vice president's advisers have been urging her to talk more about cryptocurrency as a way to appeal to male voters. Her campaign said that as president, Harris will back a regulatory framework meant to better protect investors in cryptocurrency and other digital assets, which are popular with Black men.

Harris also promised to create a national initiative to better fund efforts to detect, research and combat sickle cell disease, diabetes, prostate cancer, mental health challenges and other health issues that disproportionately affect Black men.

A recent poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found about 7 in 10 Black voters had a favorable view of Harris and preferred her leadership to that of Trump on major policy issues including the economy, health care, abortion, immigration and the war between Israel and Hamas. There was little difference in support for Harris between Black men and Black women.

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, left, participates in a roundtable discussion with Black men during a visit to Legenderie Records and Coffee House, a Black-owned small business in Erie, Pa., during a campaign stop, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Ishmael Trainor, owner of Legenderie Records and Coffee House, left, shows Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris a Marvin Gaye record during a campaign stop at the Black-owned small business, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Erie, Pa. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

A young attendee cheers as Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally at Erie Insurance Arena, in Erie, Pa., Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally at Erie Insurance Arena, in Erie, Pa., Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally at Erie Insurance Arena, in Erie, Pa., Monday, Oct. 14, 2024.(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Ishmael Trainor, owner of Legenderie Records and Coffee House, left, shows Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris a Marvin Gaye record during a campaign stop at the Black-owned small business, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Erie, Pa. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Pennsylvania state House Rep. Ryan Bizzarro, D-Erie, from left, and Erie, Pa. Mayor Joe Schember greet Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris as she arrives at Erie International Airport, in Erie, Pa., Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, to attend a campaign rally. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris exits Air Force Two, on arrival to Erie International Airport, in Erie, Pa., Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, to attend a campaign rally. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris arrives at Erie International Airport, in Erie, Pa., Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, to attend a campaign rally. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign event at East Carolina University, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in Greenville, N.C. (AP Photo/David Yeazell)

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A federal appeals panel has temporarily halted two permits needed to begin construction on a pipeline project in Tennessee that will supply a natural gas plant.

In a split 2-1 decision, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel delivered a ruling Friday that, for now, prevents Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company LLC from starting to build its 32-mile (50-kilometer) pipeline through Dickson, Houston and Stewart counties.

The project would fuel the Tennessee Valley Authority's combined-cycle natural gas facility at the site of the coal-fired Cumberland Fossil Plant that is being retired.

Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company could have begun construction as soon as Tuesday, according to the court records.

TVA, meanwhile, plans to mothball its two-unit coal plant in two stages — one, by the end of 2026, to be replaced the same year by the 1,450-megawatt natural gas plant; and the second, shuttered by the end of 2028, with options still open on its replacement.

“This pause is a crucial opportunity to rethink the risks of fossil fuel development and prioritize the health and environment of Cumberland and our region,” said Emily Sherwood, a Sierra Club senior campaign organizer, in a news release Monday.

TVA’s plans to open more natural gas plants have angered advocates who want a quick redirection away from fossil fuels and into solar and other renewables, as TVA plans to retire its entire coal fleet by the mid-2030s.

The case is set for oral arguments on Dec. 10. If additional appeals are filed and succeed, the timeline could be reset again.

“We do not agree with the court’s temporary stay and are evaluating our options to ensure this project can be constructed in a timely manner,” the pipeline firm's parent company, Kinder Morgan, said in a statement Monday.

Spokespeople for the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Army Corps of Engineers declined to comment. Chad Kubis, a spokesperson for the state attorney general's office, said officials there are evaluating their next steps.

The Southern Environmental Law Center and Appalachian Mountain Advocates, on behalf of Appalachian Voices and the Sierra Club, asked the appeals court in August 2023 to reconsider a water quality permit issued by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation for the pipeline. In September, the groups requested an appellate review of another permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

In the ruling, Judges Eric Clay and Karen Moore argued that the groups risk irreparable harm if pipeline construction begins before the judges decide their case. The company's plans would cross scores of streams and wetlands, where construction could do long-lasting damage to waterways and wildlife, the plaintiffs contend.

Judge Amul R. Thapar, in dissent, contended the court lacks jurisdiction for the state agency claim, and that the plaintiffs haven't shown they would suffer irreparable harm or that their case would likely succeed.

TVA's plans for expanding its natural gas fleet have drawn additional lawsuits, including over the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s approval of the Cumberland pipeline.

Another lawsuit claims that TVA’s environmental review of the Cumberland plant was perfunctory, in violation of the law. A separate challenge contests the decision-making for a planned 1,500-megawatt natural gas facility with 4 megawatts of solar and 100 megawatts of battery storage at the Kingston Fossil Plant, the site of a massive 2008 coal ash spill. Late last month, a judge dismissed a different lawsuit that challenged TVA's process to approve plans for gas turbines at a retired coal plant in New Johnsonville.

The groups suing over gas expansion plans note that TVA is off track to meet the Biden administration’s goal of eliminating carbon pollution from power plants by 2035 to try to limit the effects of climate change, even with a majority of the board appointed by President Joe Biden. Several of TVA's proposals for new natural gas plants have prompted criticism from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, including a warning that its environmental review of the Kingston project doesn’t comply with federal law.

TVA CEO Jeff Lyash has said repeatedly that gas is needed because it can provide power regardless of whether the sun is shining or the wind is blowing. He added that it will improve on emissions from coal and provide the flexibility needed to add 10,000 megawatts of solar to its overall system by 2035. TVA has a goal of 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2035 over 2005 levels and net-zero emissions by 2050.

TVA provides power to 10 million people across seven Southern states.

FILE - Electrical power lines string across the landscape near downtown Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn, as Nashville Electric Service distributes power to surrounding communities and is supplied their electricity from The Tennessee Valley Authority. (AP Photo/John Amis, File)