Public Transit Policy Recommendations

Support and strengthen transit throughout COVID-19 recovery and beyond by:

• Creating a $20 billion annual operating support program to incentivize more and more frequent and expanded service, particularly for communities of color and low-income communities.This program must also train the existing workforce to repair, maintain, and operate new zero emission vehicles, and ensure that agencies can effectively provide safe and reliable zero emission service. 

• Incentivizing transit agencies to develop and support equitable multimodal transit systems, operations and infrastructure, including integration of shared micromobility with other transit systems, fare-free transfers, development of interoperable payment systems, development of multimodal mobility hubs, and safe disability access through station and route updates. 

Support rapid electrification of transit fleets by:

• Significantly increasing funding and financing available to support conversion to, maintenance of, operation of, and workforce training to support electric fleets and related infrastructure as rapidly as possible while simultaneously increasing service. 

• Adopting a whole government approach to convert transit fleets to zero emissions by incentivizing collaboration across agencies on funding, training, and regulatory approaches that recognize the many co-benefits of electrification. 

• Updating the existing Bus and Bus Facilities program to be used exclusively to procure zero emission vehicles, update maintenance facilities to support them, develop other necessary infrastructure (such as charging infrastructure), and provide protections and training for the existing transit agency workforce.

• Funding capacity building to ensure that all transit systems, including both urban and rural systems, are able to meet planning, funding, training, and regulatory requirements; and establish a range of requirements that take into account differences in transit agency capacity, population served, and financial stability. Capacity building should include direct technical assistance, development of fleet conversion case studies, research to better understand life-cycle costs of zero emission vehicles as well as co-benefits, and best practices for ensuring that the existing transit workforce is retained and advanced through the transition to zero emission fleets.

• Requiring transit agencies to complete a plan, within one year and with significant input from the local community, as well as the frontline workforce, for transitioning public fleets to 100% zero emission vehicles. All plans shall be required to: 

  • Establish minimum procurement requirements and deadlines for transit agencies to ensure conversion to zero emissions fleets in accordance with Section 205 of President Biden’s Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad;

  • Establish a timeline and budget that accounts for all costs associated with the transition, including workforce costs such as retraining and complementary infrastructure costs such as charging stations;

  • Identify jobs that will be created, destroyed, or significantly changed by the transition and note plans to keep workers whole through the transition

  • Incorporate environmental justice goals and indicators to mitigate impacts to disproportionately affected communities.

• Developing incentives for transit agencies to prioritize operation of transit service using electric fleets according to air quality, health, or other environmental justice-related indicators.

• Providing protections and training for the existing workforce to ensure that no worker is left behind or loses their career as a result of government investment in zero emission infrastructure.

EV Infrastructure Policy Recommendations

Speed up the deployment of charging infrastructure by:  

• Creating a program that provides funds for installing electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure systems for all types of vehicles (such as scooters, bikes, cars and trucks). This can be a competitive grant program for entities including state and local governments, tribes, transit agencies, port authorities, for-profit business enterprises and non-profits, or a formula program for government entities. Charging infrastructure should be publicly accessible or accessible to multiple individuals, such as at multi-unit dwellings. The program should ensure deployment in both urban and rural areas, including low-income communities and communities of color; take into consideration charging needs for different vehicles, such as medium and heavy-duty vehicles; and to support the development of a strong domestic manufacturing sector for charging infrastructure, by aggressively deploying effective tools that incentivize domestic manufacturing, good paying jobs and strong labor provisions, such as Davis-Bacon prevailing wage standards. Deploy tools to incentivize domestic manufacturing and good paying US jobs. Grant/funding applicants should demonstrate the ability to operate and maintain the chargers for at least five years. Grant/funding recipients should involve other partners and multiple jurisdictions to build regional systems, where applicable, and charging infrastructure decisions should be based on robust input from and engagement with affected communities before, during and after infrastructure deployment. 

• Establishing a rebate program to provide funds to entities including state, local, tribal, or territorial governments, private entities, not-for-profit entities,for-profit entities or metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) for the installation of charging infrastructure at multi-unit dwellings (MUDs) and workplaces to ensure access to charging for EV vehicles (including e-bikes and scooters and shared micromobility) without dedicated, off-street parking. Entities must agree to maintain the chargers for at least five years. Most charging will likely occur at home, so a program that helps facilitate the installation of charging infrastructure at MUDs whose residents face higher barriers to charging infrastructure installation is critical. Further, workplace charging is an essential complement to home charging. A program that targets these types of locations could be particularly helpful in supporting more widespread adoption of EVs. Wherever possible, priority should be given to locally owned small and disadvantaged entities, including women- and minority-owned multi-unit dwellings and workplaces.

• Extending the 30C tax credit supporting the installation of charging infrastructure for a longer period of time to provide greater certainty to manufacturers and installers of charging equipment. Modify the credit by increasing the business cap and clarify that the credit applies to each charging unit. Additionally, make the credit refundable. These changes could also benefit the deployment of charging infrastructure for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. Finally, modify the credit to include hubs for shared micromobility service. 

• Ensuring workforce education, training, and certification for the installation and maintenance of EV charging infrastructure, such as through the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program (EVITP), a comprehensive best practice program.

• Encouraging development of Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Transportation, and other relevant agency guidance and technical assistance to state and local agencies to support charging infrastructure deployment. 

• Advancing EV-ready building codes by encouraging DOE to promote such codes with the international code setting organizations and the adoption of those standards by state, local, and tribal governments, and to provide technical assistance. 

• Funding research into increasing charging speed at charging stations, innovating charging options, vehicle-grid integration, and energy storage.

Medium-and Heavy-Duty Vehicles Policy Recommendations

Equitably electrify medium- and heavy-duty vehicles by:

• Including reporting mechanisms and explicit, enforceable provisions on how the benefits (health and/or climate) created by the program or policy will extend to communities disproportionately affected by these emissions and will avoid exacerbating existing economic and health inequities within any program or policy that has the stated purpose of reducing emissions from MHDV, incentivizing the purchase of low or zero emission MHDV, or other related policies. MHDV, including trucks and buses, account for approximately 22 percent of energy use in the U.S. transportation sector, with commercial trucks contributing about 60 percent of air pollution in metropolitan and frontline communities. This will advance the Biden administration’s Justice40 Initiative goal of delivering 40 percent of the overall benefits of relevant federal investments to disadvantaged communities.All agencies administering new MHDV incentives should establish tracking mechanisms for ensuring 40 percent investment in disadvantaged communities and employ active project management to ensure investments stay at least at that floor.

Incentivize electrification of MHDV by:

• Creating a new purchase incentive for new, used, or repowered zero-emission trucks to lower the upfront cost, accelerate the production and deployment of hundreds of thousands of zero-emission trucks nationwide, and help fleets of all sizes decarbonize. This incentive for eligible truck purchases should be structured as a point of sale incentive rather than an income tax credit or post-purchase rebate. Making the incentive refundable and/or transferable will ensure that the credit can be utilized by fleets of all sizes. Zero-emission trucks with a demonstrated link to the scrappage of an internal combustion engine (ICE) of a MHDV of the same or similar class should be eligible for an augmented incentive. 

• Supporting a zero-emission school bus program focused on school districts serving disadvantaged communities and those located in air quality nonattainment areas, such as the Clean School Bus Act and the CLEAN Future Act’s provisions which provide grants for the purchase of electric school buses and associated EV infrastructure and worker training. In addition, reiterate the FY21 Energy & Water Appropriations Report’s requirement that the Department of Energy (DOE) submit a plan to establish and implement the Clean School Bus Grant Program. 

• Directing the EPA’s Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) to prioritize zero-emission MHDV replacements, expand use of DERA rebates to accelerate retirements, and increase oversight to ensure legacy MHDVs are properly scrapped and not dumped in frontline communities. Additionally, appropriate funds to the full authorization level.

• Prioritizing high-impact investments in zero-emissions trucks and buses to deliver air pollution mitigation benefits to disadvantaged communities under the Biden Administration’s Justice40 Initiative by leveraging U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) programs to support MHDV fleet electrification and turnover near congested areas, in nonattainment areas, and around freight hubs and established freight corridors. Specifically, pass the Climate Smart Ports Act to invest in decarbonization at ports and boost MHDV electrification in existing Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) and Surface Transportation Block Grant as well as U.S. Maritime Administration formula and grant programs.

• Increasing funding for EPA’s Healthy Communities Grant Program to better understand MHDV emission reduction needs and strategies and to plan for transportation electrification. Include provisions that support the development of a strong domestic manufacturing sector for charging infrastructure, by aggressively deploying effective tools that incentivize domestic manufacturing, good paying jobs and strong labor provisions, such as Davis-Bacon prevailing wage standards.

• Temporarily suspending the Federal Excise Tax for zero emission MHDV. 

• Increasing weight exemptions for all zero emission heavy-duty vehicles so that cleaner vehicles are not penalized based on the extra weight of advanced onboard technologies.

• Providing larger upfront incentives for vehicle purchase in low-income and pollution-burdened communities as well as for small fleets that might have difficulty accessing sufficient capital to purchase a zero-emission vehicle.

Develop necessary MHDV infrastructure by:

• Supporting broadly accessible financial assistance programs that minimize upfront costs to deploy zero-emission MHDV and charging or fueling infrastructure. Specifically, support a new program offering upfront rebates for depot and on-route charging and zero emissions fueling infrastructure for MHDV. Prioritize or increase rebates for charging stations with smart capabilities and/or that have universal communication and technology features that facilitate interoperability. In addition, pass the “Securing America’s Clean Fuels Infrastructure Act” to extend and reform the §30C alternative fuel infrastructure tax credit, increasing the property cap to $200,000 and making the tax credit more useful for MHDV fleets.

• Along highways, freight corridors and near ports, authorizing FHWA alternative fuel corridor grants to include a focus on commercial vehicle electrification and expand MARAD Port Infrastructure Development Program competitive grants to target charging and refueling infrastructure for MHDV.

• Expanding USDA’s Electric Programs through loans and grants to rural communities for grid modernization, electric vehicle charging,and electric farm vehicles.

• Creating a single federal office at DOE to work in coordination with interagency partners as well as currently established programs at the agency to provide technical assistance for MHDV electrification infrastructure planning and implementation. The office should provide guidelines and robust assistance to state energy offices, public utility commissions, regulated utilities, rural electric cooperatives, tribal electric authorities, public and private fleets and other partners on all issues related to zero emission MHDV.

• Structuring infrastructure deployment and incentives meant to defray the upfront cost of infrastructure deployment to prioritize and lend additional support to low-income and pollution-burdened communities.
  

Support MHDV manufacturing by:

• Supporting domestic OEM and supply chain manufacturing by expanding the DOE Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) Loan Program and reviving the 48C Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit Program to include zero emission MHDV, components and infrastructure. 48C tax credits should be targeted to support zero emission MHDV manufacturing in communities that have experienced job loss and should prioritize companies that hire displaced workers.

• Reauthorizing and funding the Domestic Manufacturing Conversion Grant Program to shift or retool facilities to produce clean vehicles or components, and update them to include key zero emission MHDV propulsion technologies. This will facilitate reinvestment in deindustrialized communities and enhance mechanisms encouraging collaboration with local and state investments, workforce development measures, and related development tools.

• Fixing the Buy America waiver process by requiring coordination with federal government, labor, manufacturer, environmental, and fleet stakeholders when establishing aggressive and achievable requirements that support U.S. manufacturing and assembly.

Ensure workforce transition to electric MHDVs by:

• Directing funding agencies to require a U.S. Jobs Plan for contracts, grants, or other agreements of $5,000,000 or more for the purchase of manufactured goods or of services based on an independent cost estimate. Direct the relevant agencies to make recipients’ US Jobs Plans publicly available on agency websites.

• Ensuring equitable deployment of jobs and job training programs so that frontline communities are prioritized and have an opportunity to benefit from these jobs.

• Creating an interagency workforce development program for a clean transportation future for applicants who reside in underserved or disadvantaged communities with a focus on training a diverse manufacturing, assembly, operations and maintenance, grid integration, and/or driver workforce. This program should follow standards such as put forth by the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program and hiring from certified, registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs.

• Addressing worker misclassification by amending the Fair Labor Standards Act to restore the Obama-era definition of “employee” and by requiring that state and local agencies require contractors to demonstrate that people working on federally funded projects are properly classified as employees or independent contractors.

Encourage electric MHDV innovation by:

• Supporting robust, long-term federal zero emission vehicle innovation investments across DOE and DOT, including research, development and demonstration on vehicle technologies, infrastructure, manufacturing, battery materials and recycling, and zero-emission vehicle data and analysis. Investments should include supporting Super Truck 3 and regional-scale demonstrations of novel zero-emission MHDV technology and supporting infrastructure.

*Participation in this coalition does not necessarily mean endorsement of all policy recommendations.