WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Energy on Wednesday announced $2.8 billion in funding across 12 states for electric vehicle battery production. None of the projects — most of which focus on battery mineral processing or component manufacturing — are in Michigan, which remains the largest auto-producing state in the nation. When asked why that is, DOE officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the reason is twofold: There was a rush to investment in battery cell manufacturing after the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, which reduced the need for federal funding for that st…