Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) announced that $5,618,414 would be coming to Nevada to help build a network of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. In addition, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Energy will receive resources to establish a Joint Office of Energy and Transportation. This new office will help develop an EV commission, implement a national strategy to produce and deploy EVs, and create a database on EV charging stations. This funding is the result of provisions Cortez Masto secured in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to develop and implement a truly national network of EV chargers.
“Electric vehicles have huge benefits for Nevada,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “Our clean transportation sector is booming, promoting good-paying jobs in the state. And electric vehicles protect the health of our children and our planet. We need to have the infrastructure to support the next generation of transportation in the United States, and that’s why I worked in a bipartisan way to make sure the infrastructure law included a first-of-its kind investment to build out a national network of EV charging stations.”
As part of Senator Cortez Masto’s Innovation State Initiative, she introduced a comprehensive package of bills designed to promote the use of cleaner transportation, create jobs, improve the health and safety of Nevada communities, and reduce gasoline demand. She pushed to include many of these provisions in the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act to support EV production and adoption. Cortez Masto’s legislation included a requirement that the federal government create an EV commission, develop a national strategy for the electrification of the transportation sector, and map EV infrastructure. The bill also includes Cortez Masto’s Moving FIRST Act to promote smart city innovations in transportation systems in communities of all sizes and multiple provisions to promote good-paying jobs in transportation and better connect the transportation system to affordable housing. The Senator recently called on the administration to swiftly implement these pieces of legislation.
###