I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1221 

To increase deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in lowincome communities and communities of color, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 23, 2021 

Ms. CLARKE of New York (for herself, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. NORTON, Mr. 

GRIJALVA, Ms. BARRAGA ́N, Ms. PINGREE, Mr. WELCH, Mr. CARSON, Mr. 

CLEAVER, Mr. JONES, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Mr. SIRES, Ms. 

VELA ́ZQUEZ, Mr. HASTINGS, Ms. SPEIER, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. 

THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. CARBAJAL, Mr. RYAN, Mr. POCAN, Ms. 

MENG, Ms. WATERS, Mr. RASKIN, and Ms. MATSUI) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 

each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To increase deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in low-income communities and communities 

of color, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Electric Vehicles for 

5 Underserved Communities Act of 2021’’. 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 1221 IH

1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress makes the following findings: 

3 (1) The transportation sector is the largest sin4 gle source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United 

5 States. 

6 (2) The transportation sector is also a major 

7 source of air pollution in the United States, includ8 ing over 55 percent of total nitrogen oxide emissions, 

9 leading to poor air quality and negative health im10 pacts, particularly in urban areas. 

11 (3) Increasing the deployment of electric vehi12 cles and electric vehicle charging infrastructure is an 

13 essential component of combating climate change, 

14 decarbonizing the economy, and reducing greenhouse 

15 gas emissions and health-harming air pollution in 

16 the United States. 

17 (4) Industries relating to electric vehicles, elec18 tric vehicle charging infrastructure, and the larger 

19 clean energy economy are substantial and diverse 

20 sources of good jobs and significant contributors to 

21 economic growth. 

22 (5) A substantial increase in electric vehicle 

23 charging infrastructure, including publicly accessible 

24 charging stations, will ensure that our communities 

25 are ready to meet the demands of expected electric 

26 vehicle adoption as we decarbonize our economy. 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 1221 IH

1 (6) Low-income communities, communities of 

2 color, and Tribal communities bear disproportionate 

3 climate change and pollution burdens, yet have his4 torically received the least investment in clean tech5 nologies and resilient infrastructure. Therefore, such 

6 communities must be among the first to receive in7 vestment relating to new technologies and infra8 structure that address the climate crisis and miti9 gate localized environmental pollution. 

10 SEC. 3. EXPANDING ACCESS TO ELECTRIC VEHICLES IN UN11 DERSERVED AND DISADVANTAGED COMMU12 NITIES. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.— 

14 (1) ASSESSMENT.—The Secretary shall conduct 

15 an assessment of the state of, challenges to, and op16 portunities for the deployment of electric vehicle 

17 charging infrastructure in underserved or disadvan18 taged communities located throughout the United 

19 States. 

20 (2) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the 

21 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

22 shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Com23 merce of the House of Representatives and the Com24 mittee on Energy and Natural Resources of the SenVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:11 Mar 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1221.IH H1221

pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 1221 IH

1 ate a report on the results of the assessment con2 ducted under paragraph (1), which shall— 

3 (A) describe the state of deployment of 

4 electric vehicle charging infrastructure in un5 derserved or disadvantaged communities located 

6 in urban, suburban, and rural areas, including 

7 description of— 

8 (i) the state of deployment of electric 

9 vehicle charging infrastructure that is— 

10 (I) publicly accessible; 

11 (II) installed in or available to 

12 occupants of public and affordable 

13 housing; 

14 (III) installed in or available to 

15 occupants of multi-unit dwellings; 

16 (IV) available to public sector 

17 and commercial fleets; and 

18 (V) installed in or available at 

19 places of work; 

20 (ii) policies, plans, and programs that 

21 cities, States, utilities, and private entities 

22 are using to encourage greater deployment 

23 and usage of electric vehicles and the asso24 ciated electric vehicle charging infrastruc25 ture, including programs to encourage deVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:38 Mar 22, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1221.IH H1221

pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 1221 IH

1 ployment of publicly accessible electric ve2 hicle charging stations and electric vehicle 

3 charging stations available to residents in 

4 publicly owned and privately owned multi5 unit dwellings; 

6 (iii) ownership models for Level 2 

7 charging stations and DC FAST charging 

8 stations located in residential multi-unit 

9 dwellings, commercial buildings, and pub10 licly accessible areas; 

11 (iv) mechanisms for financing electric 

12 vehicle charging stations; and 

13 (v) rates charged for the use of Level 

14 2 charging stations and DC FAST charg15 ing stations; 

16 (B) identify current barriers to expanding 

17 deployment of electric vehicle charging infra18 structure in underserved or disadvantaged com19 munities in urban, suburban, and rural areas, 

20 including barriers to expanding deployment of 

21 publicly accessible electric vehicle charging in22 frastructure; 

23 (C) identify the potential for, and barriers 

24 to, recruiting and entering into contracts with 

25 locally owned small and disadvantaged busiVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:11 Mar 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1221.IH H1221

pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 1221 IH

1 nesses, including women and minority-owned 

2 businesses, to deploy electric vehicle charging 

3 infrastructure in underserved or disadvantaged 

4 communities in urban, suburban, and rural 

5 areas; 

6 (D) compile and provide an analysis of 

7 best practices and policies used by State and 

8 local governments, nonprofit organizations, and 

9 private entities to increase deployment of elec10 tric vehicle charging infrastructure in under11 served or disadvantaged communities in urban, 

12 suburban, and rural areas, including best prac13 tices and policies relating to— 

14 (i) public outreach and engagement; 

15 (ii) increasing deployment of publicly 

16 accessible electric vehicle charging infra17 structure; and 

18 (iii) increasing deployment of electric 

19 vehicle charging infrastructure in publicly 

20 owned and privately owned multi-unit 

21 dwellings; 

22 (E) to the extent practicable, enumerate 

23 and identify in urban, suburban, and rural 

24 areas within each State with detail at the level 

25 of ZIP Codes and census tracts— 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
7 

•HR 1221 IH

1 (i) the number of existing and 

2 planned publicly accessible Level 2 charg3 ing stations and DC FAST charging sta4 tions for individually owned light-duty and 

5 medium-duty electric vehicles; 

6 (ii) the number of existing and 

7 planned Level 2 charging stations and DC 

8 FAST charging stations for public sector 

9 and commercial fleet electric vehicles and 

10 medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles; 

11 and 

12 (iii) the number and type of electric 

13 vehicle charging stations installed in or 

14 available to occupants of public and afford15 able housing; and 

16 (F) describe the methodology used to ob17 tain the information provided in the report. 

18 (b) FIVE-YEAR UPDATE ASSESSMENT.—Not later 

19 than 5 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, 

20 the Secretary shall— 

21 (1) update the assessment conducted under 

22 subsection (a)(1); and 

23 (2) make public and submit to the Committee 

24 on Energy and Commerce of the House of RepVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:11 Mar 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1221.IH H1221

pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
8 

•HR 1221 IH

1 resentatives and the Committee on Energy and Nat2 ural Resources of the Senate a report, which shall— 

3 (A) update the information required by 

4 subsection (a)(2); and 

5 (B) include a description of case studies 

6 and key lessons learned after the date on which 

7 the report under subsection (a)(2) was sub8 mitted with respect to expanding the deploy9 ment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure 

10 in underserved or disadvantaged communities in 

11 urban, suburban, and rural areas. 

12 SEC. 4. ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING EQUITY PROGRAM. 

13 (a) PROGRAM.—Not later than 90 days after the date 

14 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish 

15 a program, to be known as the EV Charging Equity Pro16 gram, to increase deployment and accessibility of electric 

17 vehicle charging infrastructure in underserved or dis18 advantaged communities by— 

19 (1) providing technical assistance to eligible en20 tities described in subsection (e); and 

21 (2) awarding grants on a competitive basis to 

22 eligible entities described in subsection (e) for 

23 projects that increase such deployment and accessi24 bility of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, in25 cluding projects that are— 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
9 

•HR 1221 IH

1 (A) publicly accessible; 

2 (B) located within or are easily accessible 

3 to residents of— 

4 (i) public or affordable housing; 

5 (ii) multi-unit dwellings; or 

6 (iii) single-family homes; and 

7 (C) located within or easily accessible to 

8 places of work, provided that such electric vehi9 cle charging infrastructure is accessible no 

10 fewer than 5 days per week. 

11 (b) COST SHARE.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para13 graph (2), the amount of a grant awarded under 

14 this section for a project shall not exceed 80 percent 

15 of project costs. 

16 (2) SINGLE-FAMILY HOMES.—The amount of a 

17 grant awarded under this section for a project that 

18 involves, as a primary focus, single-family homes 

19 shall not exceed 60 percent of project costs. 

20 (c) LIMITATION.—Not more than 15 percent of the 

21 amount awarded for grants under this section in a fiscal 

22 year shall be awarded for projects that involve, as a pri23 mary focus, single-family homes. 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
10 

•HR 1221 IH

1 (d) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants and providing 

2 technical assistance under this section, the Secretary shall 

3 give priority to projects that— 

4 (1) provide the greatest benefit to the greatest 

5 number of people within an underserved or dis6 advantaged community; 

7 (2) incorporate renewable energy resources; 

8 (3) maximize local job creation, particularly 

9 among low-income, women, and minority workers; or 

10 (4) utilize or involve locally owned small and 

11 disadvantaged businesses, including women and mi12 nority-owned businesses. 

13 (e) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible for a grant or 

15 technical assistance under the EV Charging Equity 

16 Program, an entity shall be— 

17 (A) an individual or household that is the 

18 owner of where a project will be carried out; 

19 (B) a State, local, Tribal, or Territorial 

20 government, or an agency or department there21 of; 

22 (C) an electric utility, including— 

23 (i) a municipally owned electric utility; 

24 (ii) a publicly-owned electric utility; 

25 (iii) an investor-owned utility; and 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
11 

•HR 1221 IH

1 (iv) a rural electric cooperative; 

2 (D) a nonprofit organization or institution; 

3 (E) a public housing authority; 

4 (F) an institution of higher education (as 

5 defined in section 101 of the Higher Education 

6 Act of 22 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001); 

7 (G) a local small or disadvantaged busi8 ness; or 

9 (H) a partnership between any number of 

10 eligible entities described in subparagraphs (A) 

11 through (G). 

12 (2) UPDATES.—The Secretary may add to or 

13 otherwise revise the list of eligible entities under 

14 paragraph (1) if the Secretary determines that such 

15 an addition or revision would be beneficial to in16 creasing deployment and accessibility of electric ve17 hicle charging infrastructure in underserved or dis18 advantaged communities. 

19 (f) PUBLIC NOTICE AND REQUEST FOR APPLICA20 TIONS.—The Secretary shall publish in the Federal Reg21 ister, and such other publications as the Secretary con22 siders to be appropriate, a notice and request for applica23 tions to carry out projects under the EV Charging Equity 

24 Program. 

25 (g) EDUCATION AND OUTREACH.— 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
12 

•HR 1221 IH

1 (1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the EV 

2 Charging Equity Program, the Secretary shall estab3 lish an education and outreach component of such 

4 Program to ensure that information regarding such 

5 Program and the benefits and opportunities for elec6 tric vehicle charging is made available to individuals 

7 and relevant entities that live within or serve under8 served or disadvantaged communities. 

9 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—At a minimum, the edu10 cation and outreach component of the EV Charging 

11 Equity Program established under this subsection 

12 shall include— 

13 (A) the development and dissemination of 

14 an electric vehicle charging resource guide that 

15 is— 

16 (i) maintained electronically on a 

17 website; 

18 (ii) available to the public, free of 

19 charge; and 

20 (iii) directed specifically towards indi21 viduals and relevant entities that live with22 in or serve underserved or disadvantaged 

23 communities; 

24 (B) targeted outreach towards, and coordi25 nated public outreach with, relevant local, 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
13 

•HR 1221 IH

1 State, and Tribal entities, nonprofit organiza2 tions, and institutions of higher education, that 

3 are located within or serve underserved or dis4 advantaged communities; and 

5 (C) any other such forms of education or 

6 outreach as the Secretary determines appro7 priate to increase awareness of and access to 

8 the EV Charging Equity Program. 

9 (h) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 1 year 

10 after the EV Charging Equity Program is established 

11 under this section, and not less frequently than once every 

12 2 years after that, the Secretary shall submit to the Com13 mittee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Rep14 resentatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural 

15 Resources of the Senate, and make publicly available, a 

16 report on the status of the EV Charging Equity Program, 

17 including a list and description of projects that have re18 ceived grant awards or technical assistance, and of the 

19 funding or assistance provided to such projects. 

20 (i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

21 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

22 $96,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2030. 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
14 

•HR 1221 IH

1 SEC. 5. ENSURING PROGRAM BENEFITS FOR UNDER2 SERVED AND DISADVANTAGED COMMU3 NITIES. 

4 In administering a relevant program, the Secretary 

5 shall, to the extent practicable, invest or direct available 

6 and relevant programmatic resources so that such pro7 gram— 

8 (1) promotes electric vehicle charging infra9 structure; 

10 (2) supports clean and multi-modal transpor11 tation; 

12 (3) provides improved air quality and emissions 

13 reductions; and 

14 (4) prioritizes the needs of underserved or dis15 advantaged communities. 

16 SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS. 

17 In this Act: 

18 (1) ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING INFRA19 STRUCTURE.—The term ‘‘electric vehicle charging 

20 infrastructure’’ means electric vehicle supply equip21 ment, including any conductors, electric vehicle con22 nectors, attachment plugs, and all other fittings, de23 vices, power outlets, or apparatuses installed specifi24 cally for the purposes of delivering energy to an elec25 tric vehicle. 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
15 

•HR 1221 IH

1 (2) PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE.—The term ‘‘pub2 licly accessible’’ means, with respect to electric vehi3 cle charging infrastructure, electric vehicle charging 

4 infrastructure that is available, at zero or reasonable 

5 cost, to members of the public for the purpose of 

6 charging a privately owned or leased electric vehicle, 

7 or electric vehicle that is available for use by mem8 bers of the general public as part of a ride service 

9 or vehicle sharing service or program, including 

10 within or around— 

11 (A) public sidewalks and streets; 

12 (B) public parks; 

13 (C) public buildings, including— 

14 (i) libraries; 

15 (ii) schools; and 

16 (iii) government offices; 

17 (D) public parking; 

18 (E) shopping centers; and 

19 (F) commuter transit hubs. 

20 (3) RELEVANT PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘relevant 

21 program’’ means a program of the Department of 

22 Energy, including— 

23 (A) the State energy program under part 

24 D of title III the Energy Policy and Conserva25 tion Act (42 U.S.C. 6321 et seq.); 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
16 

•HR 1221 IH

1 (B) the Clean Cities program; 

2 (C) the Energy Efficiency and Conserva3 tion Block Grant Program established under 

4 section 542 of the Energy Independence and 

5 Security Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17152); 

6 (D) loan guarantees made pursuant to title 

7 XVII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 

8 U.S.C. 16511 et seq.); and 

9 (E) such other programs as the Secretary 

10 determines appropriate. 

11 (4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

12 the Secretary of Energy. 

13 (5) UNDERSERVED OR DISADVANTAGED COM14 MUNITY.—The term ‘‘underserved or disadvantaged 

15 community’’ means a community located within a 

16 ZIP Code or census tract that is identified as— 

17 (A) a low-income community; 

18 (B) a community of color; 

19 (C) a Tribal community; 

20 (D) having a disproportionately low num21 ber of electric vehicle charging stations per cap22 ita, compared to similar areas; or 

23 (E) any other community that the Sec24 retary determines is disproportionately vulner25 able to, or bears a disproportionate burden of, 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
17 

•HR 1221 IH

1 any combination of economic, social, environ2 mental, and climate stressors. 

Æ 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS