The departments of energy and transportation are joining forces to create the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, to oversee spending of $7.5 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law on a nationwide electric vehicle-charging network.
The Department of Energy announced the joint effort on its website Dec. 14. The department stated the initiative is a "critical component" of President Joe Biden's plan to transition the country to using electric vehicles in order to combat climate change and create domestic manufacturing jobs. The joint office is tasked with focusing on rural, disadvantaged and hard-to-reach areas and to implement programs to build public confidence in the transition.
U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm called the EV-charging network a "transformative path" to modernizing how Americans travel by ensuring all Americans have the option to drive electric, according to the announcement.
“Our two agencies will work together to deliver on President Biden's historic investments in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, starting today with a joint project to build hundreds of thousands of electric vehicle charging stations, to tackle the climate crisis and create manufacturing and construction jobs at the same time,” Granholm stated.
The new office will work with state and local governments to strategically plan and build the charging stations and other infrastructure, according to the announcement. The program will also provide support to other programs that facilitate moving to electric vehicles.
The creation of a national network of EV charging stations is part of both agencies' responsibility to implement investments in zero-emission passenger, public transportation and heavy commercial vehicles. These investments are in support of President Biden's goal of electric vehicles making up at least half of all new-vehicle sales in the U.S. by 2030, the announcement states, as well as supporting the president's pledge to combat climate change.
The nation's current transportation systems create nearly 30% of all carbon emissions in the United States, according to the announcement. Under the administration's Justice40 Initiative, at least 40% of the benefits from Federal climate and clean energy investments will be in under-served communities, according to the announcement.
“Transportation is responsible for the most greenhouse gas emissions of any sector in our economy - so it can and must be a big part of the solution to the climate crisis,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in the announcement. “With this announcement by DOT and DOE, we are taking a big step forward on climate by helping make the benefits of EVs more accessible for all Americans.”
