03.25.24

Clark College to Launch New EV Repair Training Program With $1M Secured by Cantwell & Murray

Additional funding secured for Cowlitz Tribe mobile care unit & therapeutic preschool in Clark County

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Patty Murray (D-WA), chair of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, announced that Clark College will receive $1 million from the U.S. Department of Labor to develop a new clean energy technical education program that teaches students how to manufacture and repair electric vehicles.

“This new program at Clark College will offer valuable hands-on training experience to manufacture and repair electric vehicles that students will encounter after graduation – helping ensure that the State of Washington is developing a workforce that can keep up with the rapidly evolving auto industry,” Sen. Cantwell said. “And this new therapeutic preschool in Vancouver fills an essential gap in early child education for some of the most vulnerable families and children in Clark County.”

“As Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I’ve spent the past year working diligently to secure Congressionally Directed Spending for projects in Washington state that would make the biggest impact. Washington state is a leader in decarbonization and this $1 million investment in a new technical education program at Clark College will help our state train our next generation of EV technicians,” Sen. Murray said. “As we work to electrify more and more of our economy, it’s important that we have a skilled workforce to support our EV fleet and the infrastructure that goes along with it. This grant will help more young people in Washington state get good-paying jobs, cut carbon emissions, and move us closer toward a fully clean energy economy.”

“I’m also proud to have secured $700,000 for the Cowlitz Indian Tribe’s mobile health unit after seeing it myself earlier this year and talking to Tribal leaders about the incredible work they do to tackle substance use disorder in Clark County and the surrounding communities,” Murray continued. “Additionally, funding to support a therapeutic preschool program at YWCA Clark County will mean a great deal for children in Clark County who have experienced trauma already in their young lives. Funding for child care and pre-K was a top priority for me across our funding bills this year—I’m proud to have been able to deliver a $1 billion boost for child care and early learning programs, and I’ll keep doing more to tackle the child care crisis families are facing in Clark County and across the country.”

The funds will allow the Clark College Center for Clean Energy to purchase tools and equipment necessary to launch the program, including a Class 8 ZEV Freightliner -- a zero-emission electric semi-truck – and a new Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Bolt.

The funding for the new program was championed by Sen. Cantwell and Sen. Murray in the latest round of appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2024 passed by the Senate late Friday evening. It’s among the three grants across Southwest Washington that the senators helped to secure. The other projects funded in the Southwest Washington region include:

  • $700,000 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for the Cowlitz Indian Tribe to fund a mobile health unit for substance use disorder treatment. The funds will help pay for salaries and equipment for the mobile health unit, which will allow many more people with opioid use disorder to receive needed treatment, including medication-assisted treatment. The team – consisting of a peer counselor, prescriber, nurse, and medical assistant -- will provide services at key locations in Clark, Cowlitz, and King Counties to expand delivery and access to drug treatment services where patients live.
  • $475,000 from HHS for YWCA Clark County for a therapeutic preschool program catered to children who have experienced trauma due to abuse or neglect. The YWCA Clark County Preschool is transitioning to become a therapeutic preschool to serve the most vulnerable children aged 2.5 to 5. The program will work with children who have experienced trauma, specifically child abuse and neglect, in southwestern Washington.

A round of appropriations bills earlier this month additionally helped secure nearly $19 million in federal funding for 11 projects across Southwest Washington; more information on those projects is available HERE.

As chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Sen. Cantwell is a leading Congressional advocate for the transition to electric vehicles. In 2022, she championed a key provision in the Inflation Reduction Act which provides up to $7,500 in tax credits for the purchase of a new electric vehicle, and up to $4,000 for the purchase of a used electric vehicle. In 2021, she introduced the FAST Electricity Act, which would create a landmark 30% federal tax incentive to help build the market and spur the adoption of electric-powered vehicles. The FAST Electricity Act would include incentives to electrify marine and port vehicles. In 2008, Sen. Cantwell partnered with former U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) to author the original $7,500 tax incentive for electrified passenger vehicles. This credit is often cited as a key catalyst for growing the electric car and truck market from essentially nothing 15 years ago to the dozens of models that consumers are now able to choose from.

Sen. Cantwell is also a strong supporter of workforce programs that will help Washington state lead the way in growing economic sectors like EVs, including artificial intelligence, semiconductor manufacturing, and commercial space exploration.

As chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Sen. Murray negotiated and led Senate passage of this year’s appropriations bills, passed in two six-bill “minibus” packages. In addition to securing CDS funds for these three projects; Murray secured nearly $242 million overall in Congressionally Directed Spending for projects across Washington state. As Assistant Majority Leader, Senator Murray fought alongside Washington state’s entire Democratic Congressional delegation to secure major investments in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act to help Washington State and the country transition to cleaner energy and electric vehicles—all while creating good-paying jobs. The legislation included a historic $7.5 billion investment in EV infrastructure to lower emissions and promote a stronger clean energy economy. Last year, Senator Murray announced more than $10.4 million in funding for Washington State from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to build out a national electric vehicle charging network, an important step towards making EV charging accessible to all Americans. Most recently, Murray and members of the WA delegation announced over $41 million for new EV infrastructure across western Washington state.

Earlier this year, Sen. Murray visited the Cowlitz Tribe’s mobile health unit van and discussed her efforts to secure CDS funding for the Tribe’s substance use disorder treatment efforts. In the final funding bills, Murray secured important funding for substance use disorder treatment and prevention, funding to support NIH research into opioid abuse, and additional funding to improve the detection and seizure of fentanyl and other narcotics at ports of entry and disrupt transnational criminal organizations and stop fentanyl and other illicit drugs at their source. As a former preschool teacher herself, Murray is the leading child care advocate in Congress and she secured a $1 billion boost in funding for child care and early learning programs in this year’s funding bills.

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