Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, yesterday afternoon joined President Joe Biden at the White House for the signing of an Executive Order setting an ambitious new target for getting vastly more electric vehicles on the road. The Executive Order aims to make half of all new vehicles sold in 2030 zero-emission vehicles, including battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric, or fuel cell electric vehicles.
“Getting significantly more electric cars on the road will save consumers money over the long term, advance environmental justice, and help lead the planet to safety in our race against climate change,” said Whitehouse. “I applaud President Biden for taking ambitious action to bring electric vehicles within reach for all American drivers. We’re doing our part in the Senate to get more charging stations in place across the country to make driving a clean car very convenient.”
The bipartisan infrastructure framework under consideration in the Senate would provide $7.5 billion for the installation of new electric vehicle charging stations across the country, and an additional $7.5 billion for low-emission buses and ferries. Whitehouse has advocated for more investments in electric vehicles and large-scale measures to fight climate change in the budget reconciliation framework that the Senate is set to consider in the coming days.
The Executive Order also begins a process for developing long-term fuel efficiency and emissions standards. In addition, the Biden administration has announced that the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Transportation will address the previous administration’s harmful rollbacks of near-term fuel efficiency and emissions standards.
