Sec. 101. Making public transportation affordable and accessible
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/bill/115/hr/3314/ih/section-101A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
The Secretary shall establish a zero-emission vehicle-based public transportation program (referred to in this section as the Program ). The goals of the Program are— to facilitate affordable and accessible zero-emission vehicle-based public transportation; to establish regionally appropriate, interoperable models for zero-emission vehicle-based public transportation in diverse communities throughout the United States; to encourage the innovation and investment necessary to achieve mass market modes of zero-emission vehicle-based public transportation; and to reduce and displace fossil fuel use and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by accelerating the deployment of zero-emission vehicle-based public transportation in the United States.
The Secretary shall establish a competitive process to select communities for the Program to receive grants. Not later than 150 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall publish a set of selection criteria for the grants competition that— shall prioritize communities that demonstrate affordable modes of access to zero-emission vehicle-based public transportation for disadvantaged communities; shall ensure, to the maximum extent practicable, that— the combination of selected communities is diverse in population, population density, demographics, urban and suburban composition, typical commuting patterns, and climate; at least 1 community selected has a population of less than 500,000; and grants are of a sufficient amount such that each community will be able to provide broadly accessible zero-emission vehicle-based public transportation throughout the community; may give preference to applicants proposing a greater non-Federal cost share; and in considering community plans, shall take into account previous Department of Energy and other Federal investments to ensure that the maximum domestic benefit from Federal investments is realized.
Not later than 150 days after the date of publication by the Secretary of selection criteria described in paragraph (2), any State, tribal, or local government, or group of State, tribal, or local governments may apply to the Secretary to receive a grant under this subsection. An application submitted under subparagraph
(A)may be jointly sponsored by electric utilities, automobile manufacturers, technology providers, carsharing companies or organizations, third-party zero-emission vehicle service providers, nongovernmental organizations, or other appropriate entities. A grant provided under this subsection shall only be disbursed to a State, tribal, or local government, or group of State, tribal, or local governments, regardless of whether the application is jointly sponsored under clause (i). Not later than 120 days after an application deadline has been established under subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall announce the names of the communities selected under this subsection. Plans for the deployment of zero-emission vehicle-based public transportation shall include— a proposed level of cost sharing; documentation demonstrating a project involving relevant stakeholders, including— a list of stakeholders that includes— elected and appointed officials from each of the participating State, local, and tribal governments; all relevant generators and distributors of electricity; State utility regulatory authorities; departments of public works and transportation; as appropriate, owners and operators of regional electric power distribution and transmission facilities; and as appropriate, other existing community coalitions recognized by the Department of Energy; evidence of the commitment of the stakeholders to participate in the project; a clear description of the role and responsibilities of each stakeholder; and a plan for continuing the engagement and participation of the stakeholders, as appropriate, throughout the implementation of the deployment plan; descriptions of incentives for economically disadvantaged residents in the community to ensure affordable access to zero-emission vehicle-based public transportation, in addition to any Federal incentives; a timeline for the deployment of zero-emission vehicle-based public transportation; a plan for monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the plan, including metrics for assessing the success of the deployment and an approach to updating the plan, as appropriate; and a description of the manner in which any grant funds applied for under paragraph
(3)will be used and the proposed local cost share for the funds. The Secretary shall use to carry out this section not more than $30,000,000,000 for each fiscal year from the Climate Fund.