AFFORDABLE ELECTRIC VEHICLES AND INSTALLATION OF CHARGING STATIONS IN RURAL, LOW-INCOME, AND UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES
WHEREAS, while electric vehicle use is growing rapidly in wealthy communities, minority and low-income neighborhoods are being left behind;
WHEREAS, the need is greater for low-income and underserved communities, as these residents often lack the ability to charge electric vehicles where they live, thus making the demand higher in these communities, rather than those with single family homes;
WHEREAS, in the case of cell phones, electricity, cable television, and broadband internet— new technologies, such as electric vehicles and electric vehicle charging stations, leave low-income consumers and rural communities behind;
WHEREAS, when the internet started to become the dominant form of communication, rural areas and low-income communities were left behind, creating the digital divide that is still haunting unserved and underserved communities, such is the case with electric vehicle charging stations;
WHEREAS, long-range new electric vehicles are relatively expensive, making it more difficult for low-income drivers to afford;
WHEREAS, the Federal Bureau of Labor statistics show that lower-income people often have farther to travel to access jobs and run errands, thus creating another challenge for lower-income and rural drivers;
WHEREAS, residents in low-income areas unable to participate in the electric vehicle market and who do not have accessible charging stations, progress weakens, denying equitable participation in the economy of the future;
WHEREAS, maps of electric vehicle charging stations in the United States demonstrate large areas of empty spaces (known as “charging deserts”) coincide with Black and Latino neighborhoods;
WHEREAS, electric vehicle “charging deserts” exist in neighborhoods that are made up of predominantly low-income minorities, which have long experienced a lack of social, technological, and economic investment;
WHEREAS, electric companies are investing more than $3.4 billion to deploy charging infrastructure and accelerate electric transportation, including more than $770 million dedicated to underserved communities;
WHEREAS, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes up to $7.5 billion for the installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, with a goal of more than 500,000 new chargers in place by 2030, a fourfold increase from the current number;
WHEREAS, the Inflation Reduction Act contained numerous tax incentives and rebates to aid in electric vehicle deployment;
WHEREAS, studies estimate that more than 100,000 electric vehicle fast charging ports will be needed to support the nearly 22 million electric vehicles projected to be on U.S. roads in 2030;
WHEREAS, electric vehicles represent a significant advance in automotive technology, with the potential to save thousands of dollars a year in running costs, without affordable electric vehicles for low-income, underserved, and rural drivers, and a higher concentration of chargers than currently exists in rural areas, these consumers will be left behind; and
WHEREAS, the Biden-Harris Administration created the Justice40 Initiative which aims to deliver 40 percent of the overall benefits of federal investments in climate and clean energy, including sustainable transportation, to disadvantaged communities.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOVED that the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) encourages efforts to make electric cars more affordable and to bring more charging stations to underserved and unserved areas to avoid leaving low-income consumers further behind wealthier communities;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NBCSL urges that adequate funding from the Infrastructure and Jobs Act be used on the installation of new chargers equitably throughout rural, low-income, and underserved communities;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NBCSL urges that programs and provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act be targeted to underserved communities to ensure that these provisions are taken advantage of in historically disadvantaged communities; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, the Vice President of the United States, members of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, and other federal and state government officials as appropriate.
- Resolution ID: ETE-23-17
- Sponsored by: Rep. Barbara Ballard (KS)
- Policy Committee: Energy, Transportation, and Environment (ETE)
SUPPORTING INCREASED ELECTRIC TRANSMISSION INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND DEVELOPMENT
WHEREAS, the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) recognizes that an efficient electric grid is an important component of creating and maintaining access to clean, safe, reliable, and affordable energy options for all consumers;
WHEREAS, investments in local infrastructure are creating a better quality of life for citizens, providing for the health, safety, and welfare of our communities; and particularly, fixed income, low-income, under-served and minority communities;
WHEREAS, the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE) recognizes that electric transmission infrastructure and development are key to transport the clean energy necessary to support renewable energy expansion, to meet growing energy demands, and to maintain reliability;
WHEREAS, NBCSL recognizes that electric transmission infrastructure is the backbone of our nation’s energy grid and plays an important role in facilitating a pathway to our clean energy future;
WHEREAS, the electric transmission system enables the delivery of lower cost and clean energy to customers and maintains reliability and resiliency, and further investments are needed to move the decentralized clean energy that is needed in the United States;
WHEREAS, electric transmission infrastructure investment is needed to maintain the reliability and resilience of the grid against extreme weather conditions and increasing security threats, as well as, meet the demands of customers and facilitate the transition to the clean energy economy; and
WHEREAS, after natural disasters like Hurricane Ida and the Ice Storm that affected Texas in 2021, it is apparent how unprepared our electrical grid is to the impending natural disasters that left millions of residents without power for extending periods of times for predictable natural disasters.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) will work with policymakers on the local, state, and federal levels to develop policies that facilitate and accelerate increased investment in electric transmission infrastructure to aid in clean energy adoption and reliability;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NBCSL encourages policies that address barriers to electric transmission infrastructure development to ensure that needed transmission gets built to help the nation achieve a clean energy future;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NBCSL supports the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act for their investment in transmission infrastructure, and further urges when implementing both laws that the relevant federal agencies make all possible efforts to fulfill Congressional will to encourage investment in communities of color;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NBCSL recognizes the crucial role played by electric energy companies in investing and developing the cost-effective transmission needed to meet local, state, and federal clean energy goals, while continuing to provide affordable and reliable electricity for consumers; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, the Vice President of the United States, members of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, and other federal and state government officials as appropriate.
- Resolution ID: ETE-23-18
- Sponsored by: Rep. Barbara Ballard (KS)
- Policy Committee: Energy, Transportation, and Environment (ETE)
ESTABLISHING OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE AND SUPPORT FOR JUSTICE 40 AND THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT
WHEREAS, President Biden, in a historical signing, made a commitment, setting as a goal that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain Federal Investments flow to disadvantaged Communities that are marginalized, underprivileged, underserved, and overburdened by pollution.
WHEREAS, that commitment is contained in Executive Order 14008, signed on January 27, 2021. The categories of investment include, climate change, clean energy and energy efficiency, clean transit, affordable and sustainable housing, training and workforce development, remediation, and reduction of legacy pollution, and the development of clean water and wastewater infrastructure.
WHEREAS, President Biden’s One trillion-dollar Infrastructure Legislation which passed November 6, 2021, is directed to invest 55 billion to expand access to clean drinking water for households, businesses, schools, and centers across the country. The investment is to cover rural towns to struggling cities, and address water infrastructure and eliminate lead service pipes, including in Tribal Nations and disadvantaged communities that need it most,
WHEREAS, the Bipartisan Infrastructure deal will deliver $65 billion to help ensure that every American has access to high-speed internet through a historic investment in broadband infrastructure and deployment.
WHEREAS, the legislation includes $39 billion of new investment to modernize transit, in addition to continuing the existing transit programs for the next five years as part of the surface transportation reauthorization. In total the Bipartisan Infrastructure deal provides 89.9 billion in guaranteed funding for public transit over the next five years.
WHEREAS, $65 billion will be invested in clean energy which will include building thousands of miles of new resilient transmission lines to facilitate the expansion of renewable and clean energy while lowering cost. The bill includes funding for new programs to support the development and demonstration, and deployment of cutting-edge clean energy technologies to accelerate our nation’s transition to a zero-emission economy.
WHEREAS, the bipartisan Infrastructure bill will provide an investment of over $50 billion to protect against droughts, heat, floods, and wildfires, in addition to a major investment in weatherization
WHEREAS, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation will deliver $21 billion, the largest investment in tackling legacy pollution by cleaning up Superfund and brownfield sites, reclaiming abandoned mines, and capping orphaned oil and gas wells, these projects will remediate environmental harm and address legacy pollution that harms the public health of communities and advance long overdue environmental justice.
WHEREAS, this investment will benefit communities of color, as it has been found that 29% of Hispanic Communities, and 26 % of Black Americans live within 3 miles of Superfund sites.
WHEREAS, through the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, The Inflation Reduction Act and the American Rescue Plan federal agencies are making historic levels of investment to advance environmental justice which will confront decades of underinvestment in disadvantaged communities and bring critical resources to communities that have been overburdened by legacy pollution and environmental hazards.
WHEREAS, the over 70 Legislators of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) reign from 47 states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands represent over 60 million people;
WHEREAS, climate change has impacted the health and quality of life for residents NBCSL represents,
WHEREAS, Infrastructures are crumbling in neighborhoods, communities, counties, cities and states that NBCSL members represents, and these areas continue to be plagued by failing infrastructures including the presence of lead pipes, failing water systems which continue to be compromised, affordable housing which is unavailable, and social, economic and environmental conditions which continue to exist…
WHEREAS, federal funds through the passage of these historical legislative mandates by Congress can address the social, economic, and environmental conditions of constituents represented by NBCSL.
WHEREAS, this resolution encourages NBCSL members to set up through legislation Oversight Committees that comply with President Biden’s Justice 40 Initiative at state and local levels to come together in each state to focus on obtaining the federal dollars available.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the members of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) are encouraged to and have the power, through legislation, to establish Oversight Committees to interact with the federal agencies listed under Justice 40 and coordinate with local and state agencies to assure maximum benefits for NBCSL constituents.
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the President of
the United States, the Vice President of the Unites States, members of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, and other federal and state government officials and agencies as appropriate.
- Resolution ID: ETE-23-34
- Sponsored by: Rep. Gilda Cobb Hunter (SC) and Sen. Antonio Hayes (MD)
- Policy Committee: Energy, Transportation, and Environment (ETE)