The Biden-Harris administration is continuing its push to make electric vehicle ownership a reality across the country, particularly in Black and brown communities that have been most affected by climate and environmental issues and high gas prices.
This week, the administration opened up applications for a $2.5 billion grant program allowing states and municipalities to begin building EV charging stations in communities and neighborhoods nationwide.
The federal dollars, made possible when President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, are part of a broader national goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 to 52% to stave off the impacts of climate change and protect the planet in the coming years.
“Transportation in the world actually accounts for about 30% of those greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change, so we want to electrify our transportation system to the extent that we can,” noted U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm in an interview with theGrio.
While administration officials admit that they can’t force American consumers to switch to electric vehicles, they’re hoping that increasing the availability of charging stations on federal highways and in local communities will incentivize them to go electric.
“People need to feel confident that there will be a charger there on travel corridors and transportation corridors,” said Granholm.
By 2030, the departments of Transportation and Energy plan to have 500,000 EV chargers in place around the country. As part of Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to ensure that 40% of all federal energy and environmental investments go to Black, brown and disadvantaged communities, the joint offices are already working to have these chargers distributed equitably.
“We’re going to be ensuring that extreme rigor is brought to the selection process so that all Americans have access to this…
Read the full article here
