Reps. O’Halleran, Burgess introduce Electric Vehicle Mobility Area Planning Act

U.S. Reps. Tom O’Halleran (D-AZ) and Michael Burgess (R-TX) have introduced legislation that would create a $10 million grant program to assist local governments and utilities in identifying locations for electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.

The Electric Vehicle Mobility Area Planning Act (H.R. 4326) will help produce maps necessary to produce the needed data to place these stations.

“As new investments are made in electric vehicles, we must ensure that rural areas are not left behind,” O’Halleran said. “With several automated car manufacturing facilities already contributing to the economy of our growing state, this bipartisan bill will support communities and the private sector as they identify priority areas to make the best investments in EV infrastructure.”

The bill has the support of several industry groups, including the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

“Electric cooperatives are expanding investment in electric vehicle infrastructure to meet the evolving expectations of their consumer-members and communities. This legislation will help cooperatives make informed investments in charging infrastructure, alleviating a potential challenge to broad rural consumer adoption of EVs,” Jim Matheson, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, said.

The grant program is designed to help ensure that rural areas are not left out of investments in EV infrastructure. Also, it will help communities save money on transportation costs and reduce environmental impacts from emissions.

“Public power utilities are actively working to meet the distinct transportation electrification needs of their local communities. The American Public Power Association commends Representatives O’Halleran and Burgess for their leadership in introducing the EV Map Act and support for smart EV infrastructure investments,” Desmarie Waterhouse, vice president of government relations & counsel at the American Public Power Association, said.

The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) also backs the bill.

“EEI’s member companies—America’s investor-owned electric companies—are leading a clean energy transformation by continuing to reduce carbon emissions in our sector and by helping other sectors transition to clean, efficient electric energy. Across the country, EEI’s members are partnering with communities and stakeholders to support transportation electrification and the growth of the EV charging infrastructure needed for passenger vehicles, as well as fleets of every kind. We thank Congressmen Tom O’Halleran and Michael Burgess for their leadership in introducing the EV Map Act and for their efforts to ensure we have the right public policies in place to enable widespread adoption for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty electric vehicles,” Brian Wolff, executive vice president, public policy and external affairs at EEI, said.