Contact: Brianna Baker, Electrification Coalition
bbaker@electrificationcoalition.org, (202)-599-8922
WASHINGTON—On Tuesday, the Electrification Coalition released the Local Government Playbook, a report containing recommendations for how counties, cities, and towns can leverage federal investments in electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure. It provides a “checklist” of actions and strategies that local governments can enact now and in the future, including best practices, innovative policy approaches, and lessons from previous charging deployments.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act—signed by President Biden in November 2021 and September 2022—dedicate funding to establish a nationwide network of EV charging stations and incentivize EV purchases. Local governments will play an instrumental role in ensuring these funds are implemented efficiently, effectively and equitably.
The Local Government Playbook serves as a tool to support the local deployment of EV infrastructure and implementation of federally funded programs. Topics covered include near- and long-term policy recommendations, state and regional planning, stakeholder engagement, community engagement and site planning. The Playbook also links to additional resources that local government officials can use to support transportation electrification projects.
In particular, the Local Government Playbook emphasizes the importance of taking a holistic and government-wide approach to EV charging deployment. For example, the report recommends that officials bring local departments together to create a separate EV Charging Permit. The Local Government Playbook also emphasizes the importance of stakeholder and community engagement throughout deployment. In addition to providing recommendations on where to find key stakeholders, the report provides steps for how local governments might utilize them to champion public policy.
“Recent federal investments in EV deployment will reduce pollution, create jobs, and strengthen U.S. energy security,” said Chris Bast, director of EV infrastructure investments at the Electrification Coalition. “Municipalities stand to benefit significantly from transportation electrification, but they must be prepared to leverage this funding. We hope they utilize the Local Government Playbook as a resource to maximize this historic opportunity.”
The Playbook is the first report by the Electrification Coalition’s EV infrastructure investments program. Future reports will focus on EV charging industry best practices, as well as complementary state policies for infrastructure investments. The program also hosts a series of webinars on charging infrastructure; the next installment, titled “Miles Driven: A Year in Review,” is scheduled for December 15.
Download the full report on the Electrification Coalition’s website.
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About the Electrification Coalition: The Electrification Coalition is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that promotes policies and actions to facilitate the widespread adoption of plug-in electric vehicles (EVs) on a mass scale to overcome the economic, public health and national security challenges that stem from America’s dependence on oil. ElectrificationCoalition.org