Nevada leader joins fight to better fund electric transportation
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Congress will soon take up a big surface transportation bill and a leading Democrat from Nevada's congressional delegation is speaking out in favor of electrifying the transportation sector.
The Biden-era Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill funneled billions to programs to support charging stations and electric vehicles and buses but many of the programs have suffered since President Donald Trump took office.
Representative Dina Titus, D-Nev., said Democrats will push to prioritize clean transportation.
"It's critical that we fight for these issues and that we talk about climate change and we stay on the field," Titus urged. "Because our transportation system accounts for 29 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions. It's not a small problem. It's a major problem."
Titus promoted programs to create more bike lanes and realign traffic to reduce pedestrian deaths and touted plans for a new all-electric high-speed train from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. The surface transportation bill is expected to be ready for markup later this spring.
Recently, the Trump administration told The Associated Press the Department of Transportation plans to cancel hundreds of millions of dollars in grants marked for electric vehicle charging networks in four states with Democratic leadership. The feds also announced a plan to require 100 percent of parts in EV chargers to be sourced domestically, which will delay their implementation.
Senator Ed Markey, D-Mass., said the administration is working to undermine EVs in order to benefit the fossil fuel industry.
"We know that if we make those vehicles much more efficient, less oil will be consumed," Markey outlined. "We know that if we have charging stations and all-electric vehicles, there will be less oil consumed. We know that the air will be cleaner.
During his campaign, President Trump solicited huge donations from oil and gas industry executives, promising to gut subsidies for electric vehicles and roll back climate change programs, claiming it would “unleash American energy.”
