01.09.24

Western WA Communities Get $41.19M for New Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure

Grant will also fund a new electric truck charging hub for the Port of Seattle & Port of Tacoma, reducing emissions from an estimated 300 diesel trucks

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has awarded four grants totaling $41.19 million to help communities across western Washington state install more charging stations for electric vehicles. The funds will also help create a shared charging hub to service electric trucks hauling cargo to the ports of Seattle and Tacoma.

“These grants will help build out the EV charging infrastructure our state needs to reduce driving costs, lower carbon pollution, and improve the air quality at our two largest ports,” said Sen. Cantwell. “More charging stations make it easier for Washingtonians to go electric and enjoy savings over the life of their cars from fueling with clean and affordable electricity instead of gasoline.”

The grants announced today come from the DOT’s FY22-23 Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program. They include:

  • $14,588,384 for Energy Northwest: Energy Northwest, a joint operating agency in Washington state, will install 40 fast chargers and 12 Level 2 chargers across western Washington state and northern Oregon. The project will provide EV access to largely rural and disadvantaged communities, including on indigenous lands. Impacted communities are Forks, Sequim, Quilcene, Shelton, Raymond, Ilwaco, Kamilche, Longview, Kalaloch, and Port Ludlow.
  • $12,500,000 for the City of Mount Vernon: The City of Mount Vernon will install 78 EV charging ports in a public parking garage located in a historic downtown area by the Skagit River and Interstate 5, an Alternative Fuel Corridor. The project will be constructed to allow the installation of another 200 charging ports in the future. The project will also help support a regional transit stop linking Skagit, Whatcom, and Snohomish counties.
  • $2,103,611 for the City of Port Angeles: The City of Port Angeles will install 50 fast EV chargers along State Road 101, which provides access to Olympic National Park and ferry service. Port Angeles is a small, rural community where improved EV infrastructure will help to reduce the environmental impacts of combustion engine vehicles.
  • $12,000,000 for the Northwest Seaport Alliance: The Northwest Seaport Alliance, the agency overseeing the Port of Seattle and the Port of Tacoma, will receive $12 million to develop one or more shared electric truck charging hubs. These hubs will serve a network of about 4,500 heavy-duty trucks that provide cargo hauling services to the ports of Seattle and Tacoma. The project also will help reduce emissions from an estimated 300 diesel trucks, including greenhouse gas emissions that disproportionately impact disadvantaged, overburdened communities near the seaports and along major freight corridors between Seattle and Tacoma.

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, Senator Cantwell partnered with former Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) to author the current $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.

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