Legislative Newsletter
December
Listen to Episode 1 of the ASA/Alliance for Automotive Innovation sponsored
Technology and Telematics Forum Podcast, featuring a
conversation between Wayne Weikel, Senior Director of State Affairs for the Alliance for Automotive Innovation and
Bob Redding, Washington, D.C. Representative for ASA.
o Weikel and Redding discuss federal and state electric vehicle legislation, EV
charging station infrastructure, the future of EVs, and more.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) posted a request for comments in the Federal Register this month related to establishing two funding programs for electric vehicle charging stations.
o The recently passed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act allocates $7.5 billion
for the agency to construct 500,000 new electric vehicle charging stations.
o The first program, the National Electric Vehicle Formula Program will distribute
funds only to states using a formula to calculate the amount.
o The second program, the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Program, will
be available to cities and other entities, and has more flexibility on where and
what type of charging stations can be built.
o Read more about this issue
here.
President Joe Biden signed an executive order this week that takes steps towards making the federal government carbon neutral by 2050.
o This order includes requiring 100 percent of federal vehicle acquisitions to be
zero-emission by 2035.
o Read more about this issue
here.
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation released their “Recommended Attributes for EV Charging Stations,” which provides guidance for installing publicly available electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
o Read the Alliance recommendations
here.
The European Commission sent a letter to U.S. Senate leadership this week urging them to reconsider the electric vehicle tax credits currently included in the Build Back Better budget reconciliation plan.
o The tax credits give bonuses to consumers who purchase electric vehicles
that are made in America by union workers. The EU believes this unfairly
discriminates against EU cars and will damage their competitiveness.
o The budget reconciliation bill has passed the U.S. House of Representatives and is
now being considered for a vote in the U.S. Senate, potentially before they adjourn
for Christmas.
o Read more about this issue
here.
A federal court blocked President Biden’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate that would have required companies with 100 or more employees to either verify that their employees are vaccinated or require regular testing.
o The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) extended the
comment period for the Emergency Temporary Standard on COVID-19 Vaccination
and Testing until January 19, 2022.
o Read more about this issue
here.
