Community Vehicle Charging Act of 2021 (H.R. 4908)

Short Title: Community Vehicle Charging Act of 2021

Summary

This bill aims to require the Secretary of Transportation to establish a grant program to increase the availability of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in environmental justice communities. It also aims to address the barriers faced by these communities in accessing electric vehicles and charging infrastructure.

Findings

The bill recognizes the following:

• The transportation sector is the highest emitting sector of greenhouse gases in the United States.
• Transportation is a significant source of toxic air pollutants.
• Electrification is a feasible and affordable opportunity to reduce transportation emissions and improve public health.
• Access to electric vehicle charging infrastructure is crucial for the adoption of electric vehicles.
• Currently, electric vehicle charging infrastructure is inequitably distributed, and not all people have access to it at home or work.
• Barriers to access for environmental justice communities include high costs, lack of awareness, technical support, and upfront funding, as well as low homeownership and linguistic isolation.
• Effective programs are needed to overcome these barriers and increase access to electric vehicle charging infrastructure for environmental justice communities.

Definitions

• Community Benefit Agreement: A contract between community-based organizations representing environmental justice communities and eligible entities carrying out projects to ensure that the projects create employment opportunities and other benefits for the residents of the communities.
• Electric Vehicle: A vehicle powered primarily by an electric motor drawing current from rechargeable batteries, including battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
• Electric Vehicle Make-Ready Infrastructure: The electrical infrastructure needed to connect and serve electric vehicle charging infrastructure, including raceway or conduit, electrical panel service capacity, overcurrent protection, devices, wire, and suitable termination points.
• Eligible Entity: Community-based organizations, nonprofit organizations, local/regional/state/Tribal governments, metropolitan planning organizations, and other entities responsible for local transportation planning and projects.
• Eligible Project: Projects that address the electric vehicle charging infrastructure needs of an environmental justice community.
• Environmental Justice Community: A community primarily consisting of minority, low-income, or Tribal populations that face higher adverse human health or environmental effects when compared to other populations.
• Secretary: The Secretary of Transportation.

Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Grant Program

The bill establishes a grant program to provide grants to eligible entities for projects that address barriers to access to electric vehicle charging infrastructure faced by environmental justice communities. The grant program will be established within one year after the bill is enacted.

To apply for a grant, eligible entities need to submit an application to the Secretary of Transportation, including the required information specified by the Secretary.

The Secretary is required to:

• Identify known barriers to access to electric vehicle charging infrastructure faced by environmental justice communities through a public process.
• Conduct stakeholder outreach to community-based organizations and environmental justice groups to identify eligible projects and entities to carry out those projects.
• Provide resources, planning support, technical assistance, and case management guidance to eligible entities during the application process and project execution.
• Design project timelines that consider stakeholder input and the need for additional time for completion in environmental justice communities.
• Adopt project criteria to reduce gentrification and displacement risks, increase community engagement, involve community-based organizations and unionized labor, prioritize investments in environmental justice communities, reduce air pollution, and encourage partnerships with utility or private electric vehicle make-ready infrastructure programs.
• Aim to increase wealth in environmental justice communities through community or public ownership of completed project assets, job creation for local workers, community benefit agreements, and participation by local small businesses.
• Provide grant funds at the time of infrastructure purchase to eligible entities.

Types of Eligible Projects

An eligible entity that receives a grant can use the funds for projects such as:

• Planning and installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in various locations like grocery stores, retail establishments, local government facilities, and office buildings.
• Development of fast charging hubs, on-street chargers, and electric vehicle charging infrastructure at community land trust locations, public schools, and parks.
• Incorporation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure into new buildings or retrofitting existing buildings, especially multi-unit dwellings.
• Support for shared electric mobility and micromobility options like electric car, bike, and scooter share.
• Providing electric vehicle chargers and installation assistance to residents of environmental justice communities who purchase an electric vehicle and have access to residential electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
• Educational programs that promote the economic, environmental, and public health benefits of electric vehicles, including information dissemination, dealership education programs, and curriculum development for schools.
• Transitioning existing vehicle fleets of governments to electric vehicles.
• Training municipal staff and inspectors on electric vehicle charging infrastructure use.
• Any other project that addresses known barriers to access to electric vehicle charging infrastructure faced by environmental justice communities and meets the Secretary's requirements.

Reporting and Data Collection

The Secretary is required to submit an annual report to congressional committees describing the funded projects, outcomes, barriers identified, anti-displacement measures' successes and failures, project types pursued, best practices and lessons learned, breakdown of grant funds used, quantity and usage of installed charging infrastructure, electric vehicles purchased, employment and community benefits, and any changes in local air quality.

The Secretary is also required to collaborate with the Secretary of Energy and the Administrator of the Energy Information Administration to collect data on access to electric vehicle charging infrastructure in environmental justice communities, including distance from households, usage rates, and comparison of infrastructure funded by the grant program versus other sources.

Authorization of Appropriations

An appropriation of $75,000,000 is authorized for fiscal years 2022 through 2026 to cover the expenses related to this bill, including administrative costs.