Most of the country’s cars and trucks run on dirty fossil fuels, which warm the planet and release pollutants that worsen air quality and threaten public health. President Biden’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program seeks to address this by providing states with $5 billion to build a robust nationwide network of clean electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.
As one of the first programs to implement Justice40, the president’s initiative to ensure 40 percent of overall benefits from climate and clean energy investments flow to disadvantaged communities (DACs), NEVI is a critically important opportunity to understand what Justice40 looks like in action.
All 50 states submitted NEVI plans and must revise them annually, giving them opportunities to learn and improve public engagement and ensure that investments benefit all communities.
In partnership with Atlas Public Policy, GreenLatinos, and EVHybridNoire, we recommend states do the following to center equity and maximize benefits to DACs during future NEVI planning:
- Employ a wide range of outreach strategies to DACs, community-based organizations, and Tribes
- Provide accessible and culturally-appropriate education to DACs on the basics of EVs and NEVI
- Develop state-specific tools and co-determine the most important benefits with DACs
- Build agency capacity for subsequent rounds of NEVI planning and continue engagement throughout the program, including after and in-between planning stages
- Practice transparency by naming stakeholders the state consulted during NEVI plan development and publish their feedback
Along with offering these recommendations, this report examines the initial NEVI planning of 27 states—specifically assessing equity in the areas of public engagement as plans were developed and in approved plans. This analysis is just part of the path towards an equitable charging network. If implemented effectively and in tandem with other incentives, NEVI can ready our roads for widespread adoption of EVs while advancing environmental justice.