Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) sent a letter to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm urging them to prioritize the implementation of provisions the Senator secured in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to support zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) such as electric vehicles (EV). Cortez Masto drafted and advocated for numerous pieces of legislation in the bipartisan infrastructure law to make it easier for Americans to purchase, drive, and charge ZEVs and EVs.
“As the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) prepare to implement the provisions of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act related to the expansion of zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) transportation technology, I am writing to share my views on the provisions I drafted, or advocated for, in the development this law,” said Senator Cortez Masto.
Cortez Masto goes on to specifically call on the administration to implement an Electric Vehicle Working Group to coordinate the federal government’s efforts to expand the EV market. She also requests that they prioritize investments in EV charging stations in underserved and rural communities, fund efforts to accurately map charging infrastructure across the country, and strengthen domestic supply chains for the critical minerals and batteries that are essential components of any zero emissions vehicle. In addition, she encourages federal agencies, including the Department of Transportation and the Department of Energy, to work together to help commercial fleets, including school busses and rental car companies, to transition their vehicles to ZEV or EVs.
The full text of the letter can be found here.
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 and improve the health and safety of Nevada communities. She pushed to include many of these provisions in the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act to support EV production and deployment. 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 provides the nation with the resources it needs to build out a truly national network of EV chargers. 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.
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