EV map and Build Back Better

White House rolls out $7.5B electric vehicle charging plan - E&E News

 

In unveiling a massive multi-billion electric vehicle charging map this week, the Biden Administration said it planned on a network of 500,000  EV chargers in the U.S. and that includes efforts in Oklahoma.

The pro-union announcement by Vice President Harris stated that under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Oklahoma would receive $66 million over five years to support expansion of an EV charging network in the state. Oklahoma would also have an opportunity to apply for the $2.5 billion in grant funding dedicated to EV charging in the bill.

The Biden administration boasted its Infrastructure Law would be the “most transformative investment” in electric vehicle charging in U.S. history and “put us on the path to a convenient and equitable network of 500,000 chargers.”

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes $5 billion in formula funding for states with a goal to build a national charging network. 10% is set-aside each year for the Secretary to provide grants to States to help fill gaps in the network.

The Law also provides $2.5 billion for communities and corridors through a competitive grant program that will support innovative approaches and ensure that charger deployment meets Administration priorities such as supporting rural charging, improving local air quality and increasing EV charging access in disadvantaged communities.

The government announcement said the network will enable:

  • An accelerated adoption of electric vehicles for all private consumers and commercial fleets, including those who cannot reliably charge at their home that can improve air quality, reduce emissions, put us on a path to net-zero emissions by no later than 2050, and position U.S. industries to lead global efforts.
  • Targeted equity benefits for disadvantaged communities, reducing mobility and energy burdens while also creating jobs and supporting businesses.
  • Create family-sustaining union jobs that can’t be outsourced.
  • Oklahoma bridge rank: from 49th to 9th | Southwest Ledger

At the same time, the White House said its Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act would deliver funding to improve Oklahoma’s roads and bridges.

“The need for action in Oklahoma is clear and recently
released state-level data demonstrates that the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will deliver for Oklahoma,” stated the announcement which added, ” For decades, infrastructure in Oklahoma has suffered from a systemic lack of investment.”

The White House stated that Oklahoma has 2,326 bridges and over 1,004 miles of highway in poor condition. It professed that commute times in Oklahoma have grown 7.7% since 2011 and on average each driver pays $394 a year in costs due to driving on roads in need of repair.

ODOT to restore HWY 20 access for intersections, commercial drives | News |  claremoreprogress.com

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation informed OK Energy Today that 67 bridges are considered to be in “poor condition” or just less than 1% of the bridges on the ODOT owned and maintained system.

“This ranks Oklahoma No. 7 nationally for bridges in good condition. Of those 67 bridges in poor condition, all are addressed by a current construction contract or programmed to be replaced in our current 8-Year Construction Work Plan,” said T.J. Gerlach, ODOT Strategic Communications.

However, he also explained that as of 2020, Oklahoma has 2,055 off system bridges considered to be in “poor conditions.” The bridges are not owned or maintained by ODOT but rather by cities, towns, counties, parks etc. The local entities are responsible for improvements or replacements of bridges they own.