Leveraging Federal Legislation for Decarbonization
Leveraging Federal Legislation for Decarbonization
Federal legislation such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) contain key federal funding that state and local governments and community organizations can use to decarbonize the transportation sector and reduce vehicle contributions to soot and smog.
These programs accelerate the adoption of electric cars, trucks, and buses, but also help shift trips to alternative modes such as transit, biking, and walking. Some of these programs, however, allow the funds to be used for fossil-fueled vehicles, and the Clean Transportation for All (CTFA) campaign is advocating for the vast majority of programs to advance zero-emission vehicles.
For example, CTFA, the Environmental Law Program (ELP), and state chapters have worked together to mobilize school districts to apply for funding for electric school buses rather than propane school buses. The chart below shows all the electric buses funded with the EPA’s 2022 rebate and 2023 grant programs; 96% of the buses funded were electric. With more clean school bus funding coming soon, we’re focused on ensuring that school districts take full advantage of the funding for electric school buses.
Schools using IIJA and IRA funds for electric school buses must pay for and build the necessary charging infrastructure. ELP’s work to establish utility funding and rate structures for EV charging infrastructure can play a key role in meeting these needs of school districts seeking to electrify their buses. Because of ELP’s advocacy, numerous states authorize utilities to provide such support. Moreover, IIJA and IRA funding recipients can play a key role in establishing or growing utility EV charging infrastructure support where it might not otherwise exist.
In Georgia, for example, ELP and the Sierra Club Georgia Chapter helped city sustainability officers and school districts explain to the Georgia Public Service Commission their need for the local utility’s support to meet their charging needs – and as a result were able to secure tens of millions of dollars to support necessary infrastructure.