The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) recently issued a notice seeking public comment on two new electric vehicle (EV) programs that will receive funding under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which was signed into law by President Biden on November 15, 2021.
Power & Pipes
FERC, CFTC, and State Energy Law Developments
A LawFlash prepared by our environmental lawyers discusses President Joseph Biden’s new executive order setting a goal of 50% of all new passenger cars and light trucks to be zero emissions vehicles by 2030. It also discusses the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed tailpipe emission standards. The executive order and the proposed rules are intended to reduce GHGs and incentivize electric vehicles (EVs).
US President Joseph Biden signed an executive order on August 5 that underscores his stated commitment to encourage the development and deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) as part of the Biden-Harris administration’s clean energy agenda. The executive order, Strengthening American Leadership in Clean Cars and Trucks, aims to increase the production of zero-emission vehicles by 2030 and directs new pollution and fuel economy standards for light‑, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles for model years 2027 and later. President Biden’s issuance of the executive order, combined with the EV-related implications of various provisions in the draft infrastructure bill currently pending in Congress, may well serve to facilitate increased deployment of EVs in US markets.
Read this Insight prepared by our energy and environmental lawyers addressing the status of stricter tailpipe emissions regulations and anticipated widespread use of electric vehicles (EVs). Companies looking to leverage the Biden-Harris administration’s focus on clean transportation, as well as utilities whose grids are going to be impacted by EV development, should consider reading the Insight and checking out the Automotive Hour Webinar Series for 2021.
The US Congress adopted extensive federal energy policies in the Energy Act of 2020 (Energy Act), which President Donald Trump signed into law on December 27 as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021.
President-elect Joseph Biden announced on December 15 that he intends to nominate former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm to serve as secretary of energy in his new administration. Ms. Granholm previous served as the attorney general of Michigan and as Michigan’s governor from 2003 to 2011.
Read our recent LawFlash analyzing the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC’s) Order No. 2222, which directs wholesale electric market operators to facilitate the participation of distributed energy resource (DER) aggregators under one or more participation models.
As New York seeks a path to achieving its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions goals, the New York Public Service Commission (NYPSC) recently approved an order authorizing New York’s electric utilities to spend up to $701 million to develop “make-ready” sites for electric vehicle (EV) supply equipment (EVSE) and related infrastructure (i.e., charging stations). The program is referred to as the “Make-Ready Program.”
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) has issued a straw proposal for electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure build out, to advance the statutory targets for the installation of EV chargers under a law signed earlier this year.