Clean Corridors Act of 2021
Bill: H.R.2012 | Sponsor: Rep. DeSaulnier, Mark (D-CA)
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works

Summary:
Clean Corridors Act of 2021
This bill directs the Department of Transportation to award grants to certain governmental entities and planning organizations to install electric vehicle charging infrastructure and hydrogen fueling infrastructure along designated alternative fuel corridors.

To amend title 23, United States Code, to establish a grant program for 
   the installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure and 
hydrogen fueling infrastructure along the National Highway System, and 
                          for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Clean Corridors Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Greater adoption of zero emission vehicles will help--
                    (A) reduce emissions and improve air quality;
                    (B) enhance the energy security of the United 
                States by expanding the use of zero emission fuels;
                    (C) enhance fuel choice and utilization of electric 
                vehicle charging infrastructure and hydrogen fueling 
                infrastructure in order to benefit consumers;
                    (D) ensure that the transportation infrastructure 
                of the United States is equipped to manage the demands 
                and anticipated future needs of the economy; and
                    (E) develop a new economic sector in the United 
                States that will create middle class jobs.
            (2) Consumer and business adoption of zero emission 
        vehicles depends in part on the availability of reliable and 
        convenient fueling and charging infrastructure.
            (3) Electric vehicle charging infrastructure and hydrogen 
        fueling infrastructure must be strategically deployed to ensure 
        the deployment and adoption of zero emission fuels.
            (4) Infrastructure owners and operators should prepare to 
        meet the charging and fueling needs of electric vehicles and 
        hydrogen vehicles.

SEC. 3. GRANTS FOR CHARGING AND FUELING INFRASTRUCTURE TO MODERNIZE AND 
              RECONNECT AMERICA FOR THE 21ST CENTURY.

    Section 151 of title 23, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), by striking ``Not later than 1 year 
        after the date of enactment of the FAST Act, the Secretary 
        shall'' and inserting ``The Secretary shall periodically, not 
        less frequently than every 3 years,'';
            (2) in subsection (b)(2), by inserting ``previously 
        designated by the Federal Highway Administration or'' before 
        ``designated by'';
            (3) in subsection (d)--
                    (A) by striking ``5 years after the date of 
                establishment of the corridors under subsection (a), 
                and every 5 years thereafter,'' and inserting ``180 
                days after the date of enactment of the Clean Corridors 
                Act of 2021,''; and
                    (B) by striking ``update'' and inserting 
                ``establish a recurring process, not less frequently 
                than every 3 years, to update'';
            (4) in subsection (e)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``and'' at the 
                end;
                    (B) in paragraph (2)--
                            (i) by striking ``establishes an 
                        aspirational goal of achieving'' and inserting 
                        ``describes efforts, including through funds 
                        awarded through the grant program under 
                        subsection (f), that will aid efforts to 
                        achieve''; and
                            (ii) by striking ``by the end of fiscal 
                        year 2020.'' and inserting ``; and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) summarizes best practices and provides guidance, 
        developed through consultation with the Secretary of Energy, 
        for project development of electric vehicle charging 
        infrastructure and hydrogen fueling infrastructure at the 
        State, Tribal, and local level to allow for the predictable 
        deployment of that infrastructure.''; and
            (5) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(f) Grant Program.--
            ``(1) Establishment.--Not later than 1 year after the date 
        of enactment of the Clean Corridors Act of 2021, the Secretary 
        shall establish a grant program to award grants to eligible 
        entities to carry out the activities described in paragraph 
        (5).
            ``(2) Eligible entities.--An entity eligible to receive a 
        grant under this subsection is--
                    ``(A) a State or political subdivision of a State;
                    ``(B) a metropolitan planning organization;
                    ``(C) a unit of local government;
                    ``(D) a special purpose district or public 
                authority with a transportation function, including a 
                port authority;
                    ``(E) an Indian tribe (as defined in section 4 of 
                the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 
                Act (25 U.S.C. 5304));
                    ``(F) an authority, agency, or instrumentality of, 
                or an entity owned by, 1 or more entities described in 
                subparagraphs (A) through (E); or
                    ``(G) a group of entities described in 
                subparagraphs (A) through (F).
            ``(3) Applications.--To be eligible to receive a grant 
        under this subsection, an eligible entity shall submit to the 
        Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and 
        containing such information as the Secretary shall require.
            ``(4) Application information.--In making requirements for 
        applications under paragraph (3), the Secretary may require 
        information including a description of how the eligible entity 
        has considered--
                    ``(A) public accessibility of charging or fueling 
                infrastructure proposed to be funded with a grant under 
                this subsection, including--
                            ``(i) charging or fueling connector types 
                        and publicly available information on station 
                        location, station operator contact information, 
                        number of simultaneous refueling positions, and 
                        real-time availability; and
                            ``(ii) payment methods to ensure secure, 
                        convenient, fair, and equal access;
                    ``(B) collaborative engagement with stakeholders 
                (including automobile manufacturers, utilities, 
                infrastructure providers, technology providers, zero 
                emission fuel providers, metropolitan planning 
                organizations, States, Indian tribes, units of local 
                governments, fleet owners, fleet managers, fuel station 
                owners and operators, labor organizations, 
                infrastructure construction and component parts 
                suppliers, and multi-State and regional entities)--
                            ``(i) to foster enhanced, coordinated, 
                        public-private or private investment in 
                        electric vehicle charging infrastructure and 
                        hydrogen fueling infrastructure;
                            ``(ii) to expand deployment of electric 
                        vehicle charging infrastructure and hydrogen 
                        fueling infrastructure;
                            ``(iii) to protect personal privacy and 
                        ensure cybersecurity; and
                            ``(iv) to ensure that a properly trained 
                        workforce is available to construct and install 
                        electric vehicle charging infrastructure and 
                        hydrogen fueling infrastructure;
                    ``(C) the location of the proposed station or 
                fueling site, including--
                            ``(i) the availability of onsite amenities 
                        for vehicle operators, including restrooms or 
                        food facilities;
                            ``(ii) access in compliance with the 
                        Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 
                        U.S.C. 12101 et seq.); and
                            ``(iii) needs for expanded capacity in the 
                        future to meet growth in demand;
                    ``(D) infrastructure installation that can be 
                responsive to technology advancements, including 
                accommodating autonomous vehicles, future electric 
                charging and hydrogen fueling methods, and new payment 
                methods; and
                    ``(E) the long-term operation and maintenance of 
                the electric vehicle charging infrastructure and 
                hydrogen fueling infrastructure, including 
                consideration of the need for expanded capacity 
                resulting from increasing demand into the future, to 
                avoid stranded assets and protect the investment of 
                public funds in that infrastructure.
            ``(5) Considerations.--In selecting eligible entities to 
        receive a grant under this subsection, the Secretary shall 
        consider the extent to which the application of the eligible 
        entity would--
                    ``(A) improve alternative fueling corridor networks 
                by--
                            ``(i) enabling a non-designated corridor to 
                        become a corridor-pending corridor or a 
                        corridor-ready corridor;
                            ``(ii) converting corridor-pending 
                        corridors to corridor-ready corridors; or
                            ``(iii) in the case of corridor-ready 
                        corridors, providing redundancy--
                                    ``(I) to meet excess demand for 
                                charging and fueling infrastructure; or
                                    ``(II) to reduce congestion at 
                                existing charging and fueling 
                                infrastructure in high-traffic 
                                locations;
                    ``(B) meet current or anticipated market demands 
                for charging or fueling infrastructure;
                    ``(C) accelerate the adoption of electric and 
                hydrogen powered modes of transportation through the 
                establishment of new recharging and refueling locations 
                or the expansion of existing infrastructure constructed 
                without Federal assistance;
                    ``(D) support a long-term competitive market for 
                electric vehicle charging and hydrogen fueling 
                infrastructure; and
                    ``(E) reduce greenhouse gas emissions in 
                established goods-movement corridors, locations serving 
                first- and last-mile freight near ports and freight 
                hubs, and locations that optimize infrastructure 
                networks and reduce hazardous air pollutants in 
                communities disproportionately impacted by such 
                pollutants.
            ``(6) Use of funds.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Except as provided in 
                subparagraphs (C) and (D), an eligible entity receiving 
                a grant under this subsection shall only use the funds 
                to contract with a private entity for acquisition and 
                installation of publicly accessible electric vehicle 
                charging infrastructure and hydrogen fueling 
                infrastructure that is directly related to the charging 
                or fueling of a vehicle in accordance with this 
                paragraph.
                    ``(B) Location of infrastructure.--Any electric 
                vehicle charging infrastructure or hydrogen fueling 
                infrastructure acquired and installed with a grant 
                under this subsection shall be located along an 
                alternative fuel corridor designated--
                            ``(i) under this section, on the condition 
                        that any affected Indian tribes are consulted 
                        before the designation; or
                            ``(ii) by a State or group of States, 
                        including the Regional Electric Vehicle West 
                        Plan of the States of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, 
                        Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming, 
                        on the condition that any affected Indian 
                        tribes are consulted before the designation.
                    ``(C) Operating assistance.--
                            ``(i) In general.--Subject to clauses (ii) 
                        and (iii), an eligible entity that receives a 
                        grant under this subsection may use a portion 
                        of the funds to provide to a private entity 
                        operating assistance for the first 5 years of 
                        operations after the installation of electric 
                        vehicle charging infrastructure and hydrogen 
                        fueling infrastructure while the facility 
                        transitions to independent system operations.
                            ``(ii) Inclusions.--Operating assistance 
                        under this subparagraph shall be limited to 
                        costs allocable to operating and maintaining 
                        the electric vehicle charging infrastructure 
                        and hydrogen fueling infrastructure and 
                        service, including costs associated with labor, 
                        marketing, and administrative costs.
                            ``(iii) Limitation.--Operating assistance 
                        under this subparagraph may not exceed the 
                        amount of a contract under subparagraph (A) to 
                        acquire and install publicly accessible 
                        electric vehicle charging infrastructure and 
                        hydrogen fueling infrastructure.
                    ``(D) Signs.--
                            ``(i) In general.--Except as provided in 
                        clause (ii), an eligible entity that receives a 
                        grant under this subsection may use a portion 
                        of the funds to acquire and install--
                                    ``(I) traffic control devices 
                                located in the right-of-way to provide 
                                directional information to electric 
                                vehicle charging infrastructure and 
                                hydrogen fueling infrastructure 
                                acquired, installed, or operated with 
                                the grant; and
                                    ``(II) on-premises signs to provide 
                                information about electric vehicle 
                                charging infrastructure and hydrogen 
                                fueling infrastructure acquired, 
                                installed, or operated with a grant 
                                under this subsection.
                            ``(ii) Limitation on amount.--The amount of 
                        funds used to acquire and install traffic 
                        control devices and on-premises signs under 
                        clause (i) may not exceed the amount of a 
                        contract under subparagraph (A) to acquire and 
                        install publicly accessible charging or fueling 
                        infrastructure.
                            ``(iii) No new authority created.--Nothing 
                        in this subparagraph authorizes an eligible 
                        entity that receives a grant under this 
                        subsection to acquire and install traffic 
                        control devices or on-premises signs if the 
                        entity is not otherwise authorized to do so.
            ``(7) Project requirements.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Notwithstanding any other 
                provision of law, any project funded by a grant under 
                this subsection shall be treated as a project on a 
                Federal-aid highway under this chapter.
                    ``(B) Signs.--Any traffic control device or on-
                premises sign acquired, installed, or operated with a 
                grant under this subsection shall comply with--
                            ``(i) the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control 
                        Devices, if located in the right-of-way; and
                            ``(ii) other provisions of Federal, State, 
                        and local law, as applicable.
                    ``(C) Limitation on single manufacturer use.--A 
                grant under this subsection may not be used to 
                construct any infrastructure that has the ability to 
                serve vehicles produced by only one vehicle 
                manufacturer.
            ``(8) Federal share.--The Federal share of the cost of a 
        project carried out with a grant under this subsection shall 
        not exceed 80 percent of the total project cost.
            ``(9) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $300,000,000 
        for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2030.''.
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