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Some helpful links from the show:

National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) guidance document (32p).

How much funding each state will get through NEVI.

Alternative Fuel Corridor Requirements.

Clean School Bus Program Initial Implementation Plan.

My brief notes on the NEVI guidance:

• Renewable energy generation and storage can be funded if they lower overall operation and construction costs (p.12)
• The development of the State Plan is an eligible cost (p.12)
• Exceptions can be made to the Corridor-related requirements under rare circumstances on a site-by-site basis (p.17)
• Some site benefits specifically called out as focus areas include: access to affordable charging, charging infrastructure for transit and ride-share vehicles, and minimize gentrification-induced displacement due to new EV charging infrastructure (p.18)
• The new EV Charging Justice40 Mapping Tool is available for planning equitable infrastructure (p.18)
• The focus of the funds is for publicly accessible charging, but they can also be used for charging that will be available for at least 2 different companies (p.19)
• There are no deadlines for disbursing the money.
• Funding can cover operations/maintenance for up to five years, especially for low-utilization areas (p.19)
• Funding can cover site planning and installation costs (p.20)
• Funding can cover signage (p.20)
• Funding can cover Mapping and analysis related to forecasting infrastructure needs (basically our Master Plan, but more; p.20/21)
• Existing corridors that are designated but do not meet new corridor requirements don't need to be redesignated, but they can't be considered "fully built out" until they meet the new requirements at minimum (p.22)
• Charging costs at funded sites need to be comparable to market prices (p.22)
• States should work on developing permitting processes that support operation of charging infrastructure within 6mo of procurement (p.22/23)
• Sites should be developed such that they operate longer than the 5yr of operations/maintenance covered by the NEVI funds (p.24)
• Clean Cities callout on p.24 and p.30!!
• States should consider requiring project data sharing, including charging usage, cost, and reliability (p.29)

Some notes on the Clean School Bus program:

Key takeaways:

• $2.5b will be made available for zero-emission* school buses over five years;
• $2.5b will be made available for clean school buses** over five years;
• The first round of funding may be opened as early as April 2022;
• Funding may cover 100% of the cost of bus replacement and fueling for those buses;
• Further guidance will be available no later than March 15, 2022.

Goals of the funding:

• Replacing older diesel buses that do not meet current EPA emissions standards with newer, alternative fuel buses;
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the use of alternative fuels;
• Support the Federal Government’s Justice40 initiative by focusing on rural and underserved communities;
• Support domestic manufacturing and American jobs.

Below is a list of eligible recipients for funding:

• Government Entities that are responsible for:
  • Providing school bus service to public school systems; or
  • The purchase of school buses.
• Eligible Contractors, which can be for-profit or not-for-profit, that have the capacity to:
  • Sell eligible school buses or fueling infrastructure or maintain school buses;
  • Arrange financing for such a sale.
• Nonprofit School Transportation Associations
• Tribes, Tribal Organizations, and Tribally-controlled schools that are responsible for:
  • Providing school bus service to one or more Bureau-funded schools; or
  • The purchase of school buses.

The EPA may prioritize applications that serve:

• High-need local education agencies;
• Tribal schools;
• Rural or low-income areas; or
• Applications that provide cost share through public-private partnerships, grants from other entities, or school bonds.

The EPA will consider each of the following criteria equally when evaluating project proposals:

• Lowest cost of bus replacement;
• Local conditions, such as the length of bus routes and weather conditions;
• The impact on domestic manufacturing jobs, especially in underserved communities;
• Technologies that most reduce emissions;
• Whether technologies will bring new technologies to scale or promote cost parity between old technology and new technology, particularly for production in the United States.