Electric Vehicles for Underserved Communities Act of 2021

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 1221 To increase deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in low- income communities and communities of color, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FEBRUARY 23, 2021 Ms. CLARKE of New York (for herself, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. NORTON, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Ms. PINGREE, Mr. WELCH, Mr. CARSON, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. JONES, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Mr. SIRES, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Mr. HASTINGS, Ms. SPEIER, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. CARBAJAL, Mr. RYAN, Mr. POCAN, Ms. MENG, Ms. WATERS, Mr. RASKIN, and Ms. MATSUI) introduced the fol- lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Com- merce, and in addition to the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech- nology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdic- tion of the committee concerned A BILL To increase deployment of electric vehicle charging infra- structure in low-income communities and communities of color, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Electric Vehicles for 4 Underserved Communities Act of 2021’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:11 Mar 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1221.IH H1221 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 1221 IH SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 1 Congress makes the following findings: 2 (1) The transportation sector is the largest sin- 3 gle source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United 4 States. 5 (2) The transportation sector is also a major 6 source of air pollution in the United States, includ- 7 ing over 55 percent of total nitrogen oxide emissions, 8 leading to poor air quality and negative health im- 9 pacts, particularly in urban areas. 10 (3) Increasing the deployment of electric vehi- 11 cles and electric vehicle charging infrastructure is an 12 essential component of combating climate change, 13 decarbonizing the economy, and reducing greenhouse 14 gas emissions and health-harming air pollution in 15 the United States. 16 (4) Industries relating to electric vehicles, elec- 17 tric vehicle charging infrastructure, and the larger 18 clean energy economy are substantial and diverse 19 sources of good jobs and significant contributors to 20 economic growth. 21 (5) A substantial increase in electric vehicle 22 charging infrastructure, including publicly accessible 23 charging stations, will ensure that our communities 24 are ready to meet the demands of expected electric 25 vehicle adoption as we decarbonize our economy. 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:11 Mar 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1221.IH H1221 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 1221 IH (6) Low-income communities, communities of 1 color, and Tribal communities bear disproportionate 2 climate change and pollution burdens, yet have his- 3 torically received the least investment in clean tech- 4 nologies and resilient infrastructure. Therefore, such 5 communities must be among the first to receive in- 6 vestment relating to new technologies and infra- 7 structure that address the climate crisis and miti- 8 gate localized environmental pollution. 9 SEC. 3. EXPANDING ACCESS TO ELECTRIC VEHICLES IN UN- 10 DERSERVED AND DISADVANTAGED COMMU- 11 NITIES. 12 (a) IN GENERAL.— 13 (1) ASSESSMENT.—The Secretary shall conduct 14 an assessment of the state of, challenges to, and op- 15 portunities for the deployment of electric vehicle 16 charging infrastructure in underserved or disadvan- 17 taged communities located throughout the United 18 States. 19 (2) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the 20 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 21 shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Com- 22 merce of the House of Representatives and the Com- 23 mittee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Sen- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:11 Mar 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1221.IH H1221 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 1221 IH ate a report on the results of the assessment con- 1 ducted under paragraph (1), which shall— 2 (A) describe the state of deployment of 3 electric vehicle charging infrastructure in un- 4 derserved or disadvantaged communities located 5 in urban, suburban, and rural areas, including 6 description of— 7 (i) the state of deployment of electric 8 vehicle charging infrastructure that is— 9 (I) publicly accessible; 10 (II) installed in or available to 11 occupants of public and affordable 12 housing; 13 (III) installed in or available to 14 occupants of multi-unit dwellings; 15 (IV) available to public sector 16 and commercial fleets; and 17 (V) installed in or available at 18 places of work; 19 (ii) policies, plans, and programs that 20 cities, States, utilities, and private entities 21 are using to encourage greater deployment 22 and usage of electric vehicles and the asso- 23 ciated electric vehicle charging infrastruc- 24 ture, including programs to encourage de- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:38 Mar 22, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1221.IH H1221 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 1221 IH ployment of publicly accessible electric ve- 1 hicle charging stations and electric vehicle 2 charging stations available to residents in 3 publicly owned and privately owned multi- 4 unit dwellings; 5 (iii) ownership models for Level 2 6 charging stations and DC FAST charging 7 stations located in residential multi-unit 8 dwellings, commercial buildings, and pub- 9 licly accessible areas; 10 (iv) mechanisms for financing electric 11 vehicle charging stations; and 12 (v) rates charged for the use of Level 13 2 charging stations and DC FAST charg- 14 ing stations; 15 (B) identify current barriers to expanding 16 deployment of electric vehicle charging infra- 17 structure in underserved or disadvantaged com- 18 munities in urban, suburban, and rural areas, 19 including barriers to expanding deployment of 20 publicly accessible electric vehicle charging in- 21 frastructure; 22 (C) identify the potential for, and barriers 23 to, recruiting and entering into contracts with 24 locally owned small and disadvantaged busi- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:11 Mar 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1221.IH H1221 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 1221 IH nesses, including women and minority-owned 1 businesses, to deploy electric vehicle charging 2 infrastructure in underserved or disadvantaged 3 communities in urban, suburban, and rural 4 areas; 5 (D) compile and provide an analysis of 6 best practices and policies used by State and 7 local governments, nonprofit organizations, and 8 private entities to increase deployment of elec- 9 tric vehicle charging infrastructure in under- 10 served or disadvantaged communities in urban, 11 suburban, and rural areas, including best prac- 12 tices and policies relating to— 13 (i) public outreach and engagement; 14 (ii) increasing deployment of publicly 15 accessible electric vehicle charging infra- 16 structure; and 17 (iii) increasing deployment of electric 18 vehicle charging infrastructure in publicly 19 owned and privately owned multi-unit 20 dwellings; 21 (E) to the extent practicable, enumerate 22 and identify in urban, suburban, and rural 23 areas within each State with detail at the level 24 of ZIP Codes and census tracts— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:11 Mar 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1221.IH H1221 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 1221 IH (i) the number of existing and 1 planned publicly accessible Level 2 charg- 2 ing stations and DC FAST charging sta- 3 tions for individually owned light-duty and 4 medium-duty electric vehicles; 5 (ii) the number of existing and 6 planned Level 2 charging stations and DC 7 FAST charging stations for public sector 8 and commercial fleet electric vehicles and 9 medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles; 10 and 11 (iii) the number and type of electric 12 vehicle charging stations installed in or 13 available to occupants of public and afford- 14 able housing; and 15 (F) describe the methodology used to ob- 16 tain the information provided in the report. 17 (b) FIVE-YEAR UPDATE ASSESSMENT.—Not later 18 than 5 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, 19 the Secretary shall— 20 (1) update the assessment conducted under 21 subsection (a)(1); and 22 (2) make public and submit to the Committee 23 on Energy and Commerce of the House of Rep- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:11 Mar 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1221.IH H1221 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 1221 IH resentatives and the Committee on Energy and Nat- 1 ural Resources of the Senate a report, which shall— 2 (A) update the information required by 3 subsection (a)(2); and 4 (B) include a description of case studies 5 and key lessons learned after the date on which 6 the report under subsection (a)(2) was sub- 7 mitted with respect to expanding the deploy- 8 ment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure 9 in underserved or disadvantaged communities in 10 urban, suburban, and rural areas. 11 SEC. 4. ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING EQUITY PROGRAM. 12 (a) PROGRAM.—Not later than 90 days after the date 13 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish 14 a program, to be known as the EV Charging Equity Pro- 15 gram, to increase deployment and accessibility of electric 16 vehicle charging infrastructure in underserved or dis- 17 advantaged communities by— 18 (1) providing technical assistance to eligible en- 19 tities described in subsection (e); and 20 (2) awarding grants on a competitive basis to 21 eligible entities described in subsection (e) for 22 projects that increase such deployment and accessi- 23 bility of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, in- 24 cluding projects that are— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:11 Mar 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1221.IH H1221 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 1221 IH (A) publicly accessible; 1 (B) located within or are easily accessible 2 to residents of— 3 (i) public or affordable housing; 4 (ii) multi-unit dwellings; or 5 (iii) single-family homes; and 6 (C) located within or easily accessible to 7 places of work, provided that such electric vehi- 8 cle charging infrastructure is accessible no 9 fewer than 5 days per week. 10 (b) COST SHARE.— 11 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para- 12 graph (2), the amount of a grant awarded under 13 this section for a project shall not exceed 80 percent 14 of project costs. 15 (2) SINGLE-FAMILY HOMES.—The amount of a 16 grant awarded under this section for a project that 17 involves, as a primary focus, single-family homes 18 shall not exceed 60 percent of project costs. 19 (c) LIMITATION.—Not more than 15 percent of the 20 amount awarded for grants under this section in a fiscal 21 year shall be awarded for projects that involve, as a pri- 22 mary focus, single-family homes. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:11 Mar 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1221.IH H1221 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 1221 IH (d) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants and providing 1 technical assistance under this section, the Secretary shall 2 give priority to projects that— 3 (1) provide the greatest benefit to the greatest 4 number of people within an underserved or dis- 5 advantaged community; 6 (2) incorporate renewable energy resources; 7 (3) maximize local job creation, particularly 8 among low-income, women, and minority workers; or 9 (4) utilize or involve locally owned small and 10 disadvantaged businesses, including women and mi- 11 nority-owned businesses. 12 (e) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.— 13 (1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible for a grant or 14 technical assistance under the EV Charging Equity 15 Program, an entity shall be— 16 (A) an individual or household that is the 17 owner of where a project will be carried out; 18 (B) a State, local, Tribal, or Territorial 19 government, or an agency or department there- 20 of; 21 (C) an electric utility, including— 22 (i) a municipally owned electric utility; 23 (ii) a publicly-owned electric utility; 24 (iii) an investor-owned utility; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:11 Mar 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1221.IH H1221 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 1221 IH (iv) a rural electric cooperative; 1 (D) a nonprofit organization or institution; 2 (E) a public housing authority; 3 (F) an institution of higher education (as 4 defined in section 101 of the Higher Education 5 Act of 22 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001); 6 (G) a local small or disadvantaged busi- 7 ness; or 8 (H) a partnership between any number of 9 eligible entities described in subparagraphs (A) 10 through (G). 11 (2) UPDATES.—The Secretary may add to or 12 otherwise revise the list of eligible entities under 13 paragraph (1) if the Secretary determines that such 14 an addition or revision would be beneficial to in- 15 creasing deployment and accessibility of electric ve- 16 hicle charging infrastructure in underserved or dis- 17 advantaged communities. 18 (f) PUBLIC NOTICE AND REQUEST FOR APPLICA- 19 TIONS.—The Secretary shall publish in the Federal Reg- 20 ister, and such other publications as the Secretary con- 21 siders to be appropriate, a notice and request for applica- 22 tions to carry out projects under the EV Charging Equity 23 Program. 24 (g) EDUCATION AND OUTREACH.— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:11 Mar 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1221.IH H1221 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 1221 IH (1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the EV 1 Charging Equity Program, the Secretary shall estab- 2 lish an education and outreach component of such 3 Program to ensure that information regarding such 4 Program and the benefits and opportunities for elec- 5 tric vehicle charging is made available to individuals 6 and relevant entities that live within or serve under- 7 served or disadvantaged communities. 8 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—At a minimum, the edu- 9 cation and outreach component of the EV Charging 10 Equity Program established under this subsection 11 shall include— 12 (A) the development and dissemination of 13 an electric vehicle charging resource guide that 14 is— 15 (i) maintained electronically on a 16 website; 17 (ii) available to the public, free of 18 charge; and 19 (iii) directed specifically towards indi- 20 viduals and relevant entities that live with- 21 in or serve underserved or disadvantaged 22 comm [Text truncated for display. 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