Erie County Times

Gov. Tom Wolf recently announced that Pennsylvania was one of the first states in the country to be approved for the first round of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funding, with the commonwealth receiving $25.4 million in federal funds toward electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure.

The funds—totaling nearly $171 million over five years—will be administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program, a press release from the governor’s office said. The program will help with the strategic deployment of EV charging stations and infrastructure.

“Addressing the global threat of climate change is a top priority throughout my administration and it’s a priority that President Joe Biden and I share,” Wolf said in the release. “Investing in EV infrastructure is a critical way to reduce greenhouse gases and make EV chargers accessible for more Pennsylvanians. I’m grateful that the Biden Administration has committed a significant portion of the landmark Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for clean transportation, and that Pennsylvania will receive this initial investment to support our state’s efforts.”  

The program provides funding to states for deploying charging stations and also for creating data-gathering networks for efficiency, the release said. The initial focus will be areas along interstates, which are essential parts of the the nation’s planned Alternative Fuel Corridors.

Pennsylvania currently has more than 31,000 EVs registered, which is up from the March 2019 count of 9,700.

“PennDOT and our partners have been hard at work preparing for a future filled with electric vehicles,” said PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian. “These new funds available to us through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law give Pennsylvania the opportunity to reinvent transportation in a way that is smarter, cleaner, safer, more equitable and more efficient than ever before, and we are ready to put them to good use.”

Ramez Ziadeh, acting secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection, noted that these efforts directly work to fight climate change and reduce air pollution.

“These investments into improving EV charger infrastructure will mean cleaner air for Pennsylvanians, and will pay dividends for years and generations to come,” he said in the release.