Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Investments via the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Equals Jobs and Cleaner Air for Pennsylvania

(Harrisburg, PA — February 10, 2022) Pennsylvania will soon begin reaping rewards from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress last year, with today’s announcement from the Biden Administration kicking off a $5 billion construction project to build out a national network of electric vehicle charging stations. Of that amount, Pennsylvania is slated to receive roughly $171.5 million over five years, the fifth highest amount of any state, to support the buildout of an EV charging network in the state. The Biden administration further stated that its $2.5 billion competitive grant program "will support innovative approaches and ensure that charger deployment" supports "rural charging, improving local air quality and increasing EV charging access in disadvantaged communities."

“Funding from the bipartisan infrastructure package is already on its way to help Pennsylvania ramp up clean electric cars, cut harmful pollution and create jobs in the process,” said Mandy Warner, Pennsylvania State Director for Environmental Defense Fund.

“This funding could not be timelier, seeing as how the transportation sector is responsible for nearly a quarter of all greenhouse gas pollution in Pennsylvania, with the majority of those emissions coming from gas-fueled cars and trucks. It’s a critical piece of the equation of 100 percent electrification of the transportation economy. The buildout of an EV infrastructure is essential to achieving that goal as it will make adoption of EV cars and trucks significantly easier. Electric vehicles are critical to reducing climate- and public health-harming carbon pollution, and Pennsylvania is well-positioned to get to work now to help clear the way for a clean, EV-powered economy in the state.

“Congress and the President are smartly investing in our economy by passing clean energy investments that will power millions of electric trucks, buses and cars built in the U.S. We thank President Biden for quickly moving these funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support Pennsylvania citizens and communities.”

The move to EVs is quickly gaining momentum in the Keystone state. As noted by the Department of Environmental Protection, “More than 29,000 electric passenger vehicles were registered in Pennsylvania as of November 2020. While this is a fraction of vehicles in the state, it’s more than double the number in December 2017.”