The Zero Emission Transportation Association (ZETA) endorsed the bipartisan Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure For Farmers Act that was introduced by Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07) and Representative Tom Rice (R-SC-07). This bill expands the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) to include electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. REAP is administered by the United States Department of Agriculture and provides grants and loan guarantees to agricultural producers and rural small businesses to help purchase renewable energy systems, among the program’s other provisions. This bipartisan legislation will accelerate the deployment of EV charging infrastructure in the United States’ rural communities, ensuring that they are not left behind as the transportation sector electrifies.

This bill will facilitate the electrification of agricultural vehicles and pave the way for rural small businesses to install EV chargers in their parking lots, making it easier for their customers and employees alike to transition away from gas-powered vehicles. This bill will support jobs in EV charger manufacturing and installation—which create more jobs per dollar of investment than highway maintenance or traditional auto manufacturing—and it will help enable all Americans to enjoy the economic, public health, and environmental benefits of transportation electrification, ZETA says.