U.S. Reps. Andy Levin (D-MI) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) unveiled updated legislation to create a network of electric vehicle charging stations across the country.
During a virtual press conference on Wednesday, the congress members said their updated Electric Vehicle Freedom Act will create good-paying union jobs nationwide while electrifying America’s highway system and taking necessary steps to combat climate change.
“The EV Freedom Act is the comprehensive policy we need to make President Biden’s pledge to deploy 500,000 new public charging outlets a reality and prioritizes creating good, union jobs in industries supporting vehicle electrification,” Levin said. “This bill demonstrates what good policy looks like when organized labor and environmental justice groups unify behind the banner of good jobs and a livable planet. The seriousness of the threat posed by climate change demands a transformative public policy response, and we must invest in the people and the communities that will put our plans in action. The EV Freedom Act includes strong labor provisions to focus on local workers and high-quality training programs to provide great new opportunities to a diverse population.”
The EV Freedom Act directs the Secretary of Transportation and the Secretary of Energy to devise a plan to create the network of EV chargers, submit the plan to Congress and create the network of EV chargers within five years.
“Over two years ago, we introduced the Green New Deal, which allowed for an entirely new frame for us to approach the climate crisis. It outright rejected this idea that jobs and justice and environmental progress are in competition with one another – and in fact, we can create a just economy and millions of union jobs by actually transitioning and decarbonizing our economy and saving our planet. The EV Freedom Act is a piece of legislation that upholds those core Green New Deal principles,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
The legislation is supported by several energy and climate groups, including the BlueGreen Alliance, the Center for Transportation and the Environment, Climate Hawks Vote, the League of Conservation Voters, the Sierra Club, the Union of Concerned Scientists, the United Steel Workers (USW) and the Utility Workers Union of America (UWUA).