The federal government has allotted $15 million to the Maricopa County Air Quality Department to fund publicly accessible electric vehicle charging stations.
The Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program, which is part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, is the source of the funding.
An increase in the use of electric vehicles, according to the award’s backers, will aid in the fight against air pollution.
“I’m incredibly proud to deliver $15 million to strengthen Maricopa County’s electric vehicle charging network through my bipartisan infrastructure law. This investment is another step towards a cleaner, healthier, and safer Arizona,” Sen. Kyrsten Sinema said in a statement.
The Environmental Protection Agency has classified Maricopa County as a “nonattainment” area as of last month, putting strict air quality regulations in place from government regulators. As stated by the county, the Maricopa County Travel Reduction Program began in 1989 and the stations are to be located in areas with at least 50 workers.
The program received $521 million to establish a countrywide charging network for electric vehicles. A news release stated that the cash was utilized to “deploy” more than 9,000 charging stations across 29 states.
“As we build out the EV charging network on our highways, we are also investing in local communities, rural, urban and tribal alike,” United States Transportation Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg said in a statement last month. “Today’s grants are a critical part of ensuring every American can find a charger as easily as a gas station, which will decrease pollution from our roadways, lower costs for families, and help people get to where they need to go efficiently.”
Despite the one-time funding’s enormous price tag of north of a trillion dollars, Center Square reported that funds from the infrastructure legislation and the Inflation Reduction Act continued to be distributed.