Electric Vehicle Spending Boosted in Democrats’ Budget Bill

A House panel is proposing to devote $13.5 billion to electric vehicle infrastructure as part of its portion of a $3.5 trillion tax-and-spending measure.

The money would go toward constructing charging infrastructure in publicly accessible locations, multi-unit housing, workplaces, and underserved regions, as well as electrifying industrial and medium-heavy duty vehicles, according to a fact sheet from the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

The committee plans to mark up its portion of the reconciliation bill (S. Con. Res. 14) on Monday as panels work to finish drafting the legislation by Sept. 15.

The proposed funding aligns with President Joe Biden’s agenda, which includes a goal of building a nationwide network of 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations by 2030.

Senators also included EV charging money in their bipartisan infrastructure bill (H.R. 3684), which the House plans to take up later this month. Industry and advocates have questioned whether the EV spending in that bill would be enough to meet the administration’s goals.

The additional EV funding would be included in the 10-year budget reconciliation legislation that Democrats, should they stay united, could pass in the Senate without Republican support. The money would also give state energy offices resources for transportation, the fact sheet said. The energy committee can increase the deficit by about $486.5 billion in the budget resolution, according to reconciliation instructions.

The legislation from the energy committee also includes $17.5 billion to wean federal buildings and vehicle fleets away from fossil fuels. This pot of money would also support installing electric vehicle charging stations.

The bill would also create Environmental Protection Agency grants that would provide $5 billion to replace heavy-duty vehicles, such as refuse trucks and school buses.