Title: Electric Transportation Commission and National Strategy Act
Policy area: Energy

Summary:
Electric Transportation Commission and National Strategy Act
This bill requires the Department of Transportation and the Department of Energy to jointly establish a working group to make recommendations on the development, adoption, and integration of electric vehicles into U.S. transportation and energy systems. In addition, the working group must develop, publish, and update a resource guide that provides information about electric vehicles and their charging infrastructure.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2040 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2040

   To establish a working group on electric vehicles, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 27, 2019

Ms. Cortez Masto (for herself, Ms. Stabenow, Ms. Smith, Mr. Wyden, Mrs. 
Gillibrand, Ms. Hirono, and Mr. Merkley) introduced the following bill; 
    which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
                      Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To establish a working group on electric vehicles, 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 ``Electric Transportation Commission 
and National Strategy Act''.

SEC. 2. ELECTRIC VEHICLE WORKING GROUP.

    (a) Establishment of Working Group.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation and the 
        Secretary of Energy (referred to in this section as the 
        ``Secretaries'') shall jointly establish a working group 
        (referred to in this section as the ``working group'') to make 
        recommendations on the development, adoption, and integration 
        of electric vehicles into the transportation and energy systems 
        of the United States.
            (2) Membership.--
                    (A) In general.--The working group shall be 
                composed of--
                            (i) the Secretaries (or designees), who 
                        shall be co-chairs of the working group; and
                            (ii) not more than 25 members to be 
                        appointed by the Secretaries, of whom--
                                    (I) not more than 6 shall be 
                                Federal stakeholders as described in 
                                subparagraph (B); and
                                    (II) not more than 19 shall be non-
                                Federal stakeholders as described in 
                                subparagraph (C).
                    (B) Federal stakeholders.--The working group--
                            (i) shall include not less than 1 
                        representative of each of--
                                    (I) the Department of 
                                Transportation;
                                    (II) the Department of Energy;
                                    (III) the Environmental Protection 
                                Agency; and
                                    (IV) the General Services 
                                Administration; and
                            (ii) may include a representative of any 
                        other Federal agency the Secretaries consider 
                        to be appropriate.
                    (C) Non-federal stakeholders.--The working group--
                            (i) shall include not less than 1 
                        representative of each of--
                                    (I) a manufacturer of electric 
                                vehicles or the relevant components of 
                                electric vehicles;
                                    (II) an owner, operator, or 
                                manufacturer of electric vehicle 
                                charging equipment;
                                    (III) the public utility industry;
                                    (IV) a public utility regulator or 
                                association of public utility 
                                regulators;
                                    (V) the transportation fueling 
                                distribution industry;
                                    (VI) the energy provider industry;
                                    (VII) the automotive dealing 
                                industry;
                                    (VIII) the passenger transportation 
                                industry;
                                    (IX) an organization representing a 
                                unit of local government;
                                    (X) a regional transportation or 
                                planning agency;
                                    (XI) an organization representing 
                                State departments of transportation;
                                    (XII) an organization representing 
                                State departments of energy or State 
                                energy planners;
                                    (XIII) an expert in intelligent 
                                transportation systems and 
                                technologies;
                                    (XIV) organized labor;
                                    (XV) the trucking industry;
                                    (XVI) Tribal governments; and
                                    (XVII) the property development 
                                industry; and
                            (ii) may include a representative of any 
                        other non-Federal stakeholder that the 
                        Secretaries consider to be appropriate.
            (3) Meetings.--
                    (A) In general.--The working group shall meet not 
                less frequently than once every 120 days.
                    (B) Remote participation.--A member of the working 
                group may participate in a meeting of the working group 
                via teleconference or similar means.
    (b) Report and Strategy on Electric Vehicle Adoption, 
Opportunities, and Challenges.--
            (1) In general.--The working group shall submit to Congress 
        by each of the deadlines described in paragraph (2)--
                    (A) a report on the status of electric vehicle 
                adoption and opportunities for and challenges to 
                expanding adoption of electric vehicles, including--
                            (i) a description of the barriers and 
                        opportunities to scaling up electric vehicle 
                        adoption nationwide, including issues relating 
                        to--
                                    (I) consumer behavior;
                                    (II) charging infrastructure needs, 
                                including standardization;
                                    (III) manufacturing and battery 
                                costs;
                                    (IV) the adoption of electric 
                                vehicles for low- and moderate-income 
                                individuals and underserved 
                                communities, including charging 
                                infrastructure access and vehicle 
                                purchase financing;
                                    (V) business models for charging 
                                electric vehicles outside the home;
                                    (VI) charging infrastructure 
                                permitting and regulatory issues;
                                    (VII) cybersecurity of charging 
                                infrastructure;
                                    (VIII) secondary markets and 
                                recycling for batteries;
                                    (IX) grid integration;
                                    (X) energy storage; and
                                    (XI) specific regional or local 
                                issues that--
                                            (aa) are associated with--

                                                    (AA) the issues 
                                                described in subclauses 
                                                (I) through (X); or

                                                    (BB) urban or rural 
                                                environments; and

                                            (bb) may not appear 
                                        nationwide, but hamper a 
                                        nationwide adoption or 
                                        coordination of electric 
                                        vehicles;
                            (ii) examples of successful public and 
                        private models and demonstration projects that 
                        encourage electric vehicle adoption; and
                            (iii) an analysis of current efforts to 
                        overcome the barriers described in clause (i); 
                        and
                    (B) a strategy that describes how the Federal 
                Government, States, units of local government, and 
                industry can--
                            (i) overcome the barriers described in 
                        subparagraph (A)(i);
                            (ii) identify areas of opportunity in 
                        research and development to improve battery 
                        manufacturing, mineral mining, recycling costs, 
                        material recovery, and battery performance for 
                        electric vehicles;
                            (iii) enhance Federal interagency 
                        coordination to promote electric vehicle 
                        adoption;
                            (iv) promote electric vehicle knowledge and 
                        expertise within State and local governments;
                            (v) prepare the workforce for the adoption 
                        of electric vehicles, including through 
                        collaboration with labor unions, colleges and 
                        other educational institutions, and relevant 
                        manufacturers;
                            (vi) expand electric vehicle and charging 
                        infrastructure--
                                    (I) knowledge and use among 
                                Federal, State, and local governments, 
                                school districts, and private entities; 
                                and
                                    (II) adoption among the fleets of 
                                the entities described in subclause 
                                (I);
                            (vii) expand knowledge of the benefits of 
                        electric vehicles among the general public;
                            (viii) maintain the global competitiveness 
                        of the United States in the electric vehicle 
                        and charging infrastructure markets;
                            (ix) provide clarity in regulations to 
                        improve national uniformity with respect to 
                        electric vehicles; and
                            (x) ensure the sustainable integration of 
                        electric vehicles into the national electric 
                        grid.
            (2) Deadlines.--A report under paragraph (1) shall be 
        submitted by--
                    (A) for the first report, not later than 1 year 
                after the date on which the working group is 
                established under subsection (a)(1);
                    (B) for the second report, not later than 2 years 
                after the date on which the first report is required to 
                be submitted under subparagraph (A); and
                    (C) for the third report, not later than 2 years 
                after the date on which the second report is required 
                to be submitted under subparagraph (B).
    (c) Electric Vehicle Resource Guide.--
            (1) In general.--The working group shall develop, publish, 
        and update a resource guide to provide information to increase 
        knowledge about electric vehicles and necessary charging 
        infrastructure for consumers, State, local, and Tribal 
        governments (including transit agencies or authorities, public 
        tolling authorities, metropolitan planning organizations, 
        public utility commissions, and public service companies), and 
        businesses that sell motor vehicles.
            (2) Inclusions.--A resource guide under paragraph (1) shall 
        include--
                    (A) information on--
                            (i) the general characteristics of electric 
                        vehicles (including passenger vehicles, 
                        electric vehicles for public transportation, 
                        school buses, and electric vehicles for 
                        commercial use); and
                            (ii) the types of charging solutions 
                        available to consumers, including, to the 
                        maximum extent practicable, a digitally 
                        accessible compilation of existing mapping of 
                        publicly available charging stations in the 
                        United States;
                    (B) information on electrifying business and 
                government vehicle fleets;
                    (C) information on Federal grant programs available 
                to State and local governments for the purchase of 
                electric vehicles for public transportation;
                    (D) a description of current financial and 
                nonfinancial incentives for electric vehicles; and
                    (E) any other information that--
                            (i) a representative of industry or State 
                        or local government requests to be included; 
                        and
                            (ii) the working group determines to be 
                        appropriate.
            (3) Use of existing guides.--In developing, publishing, and 
        maintaining the resource guide under paragraph (1), the working 
        group shall consider existing Federal, State, local, private 
        sector, and academic guides relating to electric vehicles and, 
        to the maximum extent practicable, coordinate with the entities 
        publishing those guides--
                    (A) to prevent duplication of efforts by the 
                Federal Government; and
                    (B) to leverage existing complementary efforts.
            (4) Resource guide outreach.--The working group shall 
        conduct outreach to consumers, State, local, and Tribal 
        governments (including transit agencies or authorities, public 
        tolling authorities, metropolitan planning organizations, 
        public utility commissions, and public service companies), and 
        businesses that sell motor vehicles via the internet, social 
        media, and other methods--
                    (A) to provide the resource guide under paragraph 
                (1) to interested stakeholders, including relevant 
                consumer groups and transportation-related 
                organizations;
                    (B) to promote the use of electric vehicles in both 
                government and industry fleets; and
                    (C) to educate individuals involved in the sale of 
                motor vehicles about the benefits of electric vehicles.
            (5) Subsequent resource guides.--Not less frequently than 
        every 2 years for the duration of the working group, the 
        working group shall publish an update to the resource guide 
        under paragraph (1), as appropriate based on technological 
        innovation and subsequent information.
            (6) Accessibility.--The Secretaries shall each maintain the 
        resource guide under paragraph (1) on a designated website, 
        which may be an existing website, of each Secretary relating to 
        electric vehicles.
    (d) Coordination.--To the maximum extent practicable, the 
Secretaries and the working group shall carry out this section using 
all available existing resources, websites, and databases of Federal 
agencies, such as the Alternative Fuels Data Center.
    (e) Funding.--The Secretaries shall carry out this section using 
existing funds made available to the Secretaries and not otherwise 
obligated.
    (f) Termination.--The working group shall terminate on the date on 
which the third report under subsection (b) is submitted.
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