WASHINGTON—Today, Congressman Tom O’Halleran (AZ-01) and Congressman Michael C. Burgess (TX-26) introduced H.R. 8807, the Electric Vehicle Mobility Area Planning Act (EV MAP Act). The bill would create a $10 million grant program to assist localities and electric utilities to identify the locations for electric vehicle charging stations in their communities.

O’Halleran and Burgess’ legislation will assist communities in saving money on transportation costs, reducing environmental impacts from tailpipe emissions, and gaining access to new, cutting edge transportation technology by providing consumers and developers better, data-driven, more publicly accessible information, allowing them to make the best planning and investment decisions for their individual needs, and creating new, American manufacturing jobs in the process.

View text of the bill, HERE.

“As our transportation sector evolves—with several automated car manufacturing facilities already contributing to the economy of our growing state—we must ensure that long-overlooked areas and rural districts like Arizona’s First are not left behind,” said O’Halleran. “Our bill ensures that both communities and the private sector can identify priority areas to make the best investments in the EV industry. This growing market is taking action to lower emissions and combat climate change while bolstering our transportation economy and opening up new, good-paying jobs for Arizonans. It's a win-win-win.”

“Electric vehicles are a growing part of our nation’s auto fleet in the 21st century,” said Burgess. “Several auto manufacturers are already expanding their electric vehicle product lines. These innovative vehicles hold the promise to create many new manufacturing jobs here in the United States and answer consumer demands for lower overall energy costs while reducing auto emissions. The “EV MAP Act” addresses one of the most pressing issues EV owners have – range anxiety. This small investment will provide more accessible information for EV owners and infrastructure developers to make better decisions within a free market, without massive taxpayer spending or heavy-handed federal mandates.”

The legislation has received the support of industry experts as well as energy and climate non-profits:

Jim Matheson, CEO, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association: "Electric cooperatives are investing in electric vehicle infrastructure to meet the evolving expectations of their consumer-members and communities. One potential challenge to broad rural consumer adoption of EVs is a clear understanding of when and where public charging stations will be needed. This legislation will help alleviate that obstacle to EV deployment and help electric cooperatives make informed investments in charging infrastructure. We applaud Reps. O’Halleran and Burgess for their leadership in advancing this critical technology.”

Elgie Holstein, Senior Director for Strategic Planning, Environmental Defense Fund: “The bipartisan Electric Vehicle Mobility Area Planning Act (EV MAP) is an important step toward a clean and dependable transportation system. Identifying and mapping the needs of electric vehicle owners and other stakeholders will be important in order to build out a national network of charging and related infrastructure that can adequately support growing numbers of clean vehicles. In addition to research, we will also need substantial investment as we move towards the goal of a clean transportation system that benefits our economy, reduces climate pollution and helps foster healthier communities. Representatives Tom O’Halleran and Michael Burgess, M.D. deserve credit for their effort to build support for these smart, pro-jobs policies.”

Heather Reams, Executive Director, Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions: “Electric vehicles, EVs, hold immense promise for reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, but concern about the ability to recharge an EV when needed is currently an obstacle to their widespread adoption. America should pursue policies that support the expansion of this technology according to free-market principles, and the grant program envisioned under the Electric Vehicle Mobility Area Planning Act (EV MAP Act) is one such piece of commonsense legislation. The EV MAP Act would support a data-driven analysis of where electric vehicle charging stations should be located based on where they will be most needed and most useful. This will empower investors and private sector companies to confidently build out this infrastructure in an informed manner and open up more transportation choices for all Americans without adding to the taxpayer’s burden.”

Brian Wolff, Executive Vice President, Public Policy and External Affairs at the Edison Electric Institute: "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 electric transportation."

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