II 111th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 1721 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES September 25, 2009 Mr. Sanders introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources A BILL To require the Secretary of Transportation to develop a national transportation low emissions energy plan.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Transportation Low Emissions Energy Plan 2020 Act.

2.

Findings

Congress finds that— (1)President Obama has stated a goal of deploying 1,000,000 plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles by 2015; (2)the United States needs to develop— (A)the electric recharging infrastructure to fuel those vehicles; and (B)uniform standards and protocols for deployment and integration of recharging infrastructure to serve commercial vehicles as well as consumer vehicles; and (3)plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles offer a number of benefits, including emissions reductions, decreasing dependence on imported oil, and advanced energy storage for the electric grid.

3.

Definitions

In this Act: (1)

Plan

The term Plan means the national transportation low emissions energy plan developed under section 4. (2)

Secretary

The term Secretary means the Secretary of Transportation, acting in coordination with the Secretary of Energy and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

4.

National transportation low emissions energy plan

(a)

In general

The Secretary shall establish a stakeholder-driven process to develop, not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, a national transportation low emissions energy plan. (b)

Requirements

The Plan shall— (1)project the near- and long-term need for and location of electric drive vehicle refueling infrastructure at strategic locations across all major national highways, roads, and corridors; (2)identify infrastructure and standardization needs for electricity providers, infrastructure providers, vehicle manufacturers, and electricity purchasers; and (3)establish an aspirational goal of achieving strategic deployment of electric vehicle infrastructure by 2020. (c)

Stakeholders

In developing the Plan, the Secretary shall involve, on a voluntary basis, stakeholders that include— (1)the heads of other Federal agencies; (2)State and local officials; (3)representatives of— (A)energy utilities; (B)the vehicles industry; (C)the freight and shipping industry; (D)clean technology firms; (E)the hospitality industry; (F)the restaurant industry; and (G)highway rest stop vendors; and (4)such other stakeholders as the Secretary may determine to be necessary. (d)

Public charge access ports

The Plan shall— (1)prioritize the development of— (A)standardized public charge access ports with wireless or smart card billing capability; and (B)level I and level II charge port systems (that charge an electric vehicle over a period of 8 to 14 hours and 4 to 8 hours, respectively) that will meet the energy requirements of the majority of plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles; (2)examine the feasibility of level III charge port systems that can charge an electric vehicle over a period of 10 to 20 minutes; and (3)focus on infrastructure that provides consumers with the lowest cost while providing convenient charge system access. (e)

LEEP Coordinator

The Secretary may designate 1 full-time position within the Department of Transportation to be known as the LEEP coordinator with responsibility to oversee— (1)the development of the Plan; and (2)the implementation of the regional pilot projects under section 5.

5.

Pilot projects

(a)

In general

The Secretary may establish 4 pilot projects to demonstrate electric drive vehicles and infrastructure— (1)in rural locations; and (2)in commercial use. (b)

Requirements

The Secretary shall— (1)establish the pilot projects after the publication of the Plan; (2)use the Plan to determine which regions of the United States are most ready to demonstrate electric vehicle infrastructure; (3)carry out the pilot projects in different regions of the United States; and (4)ensure that— (A)at least 1 pilot project is carried out in a rural region of the United States; and (B)at least 1 pilot project is focused on freight issues. (c)

Financial resources

In carrying out the regional pilot projects, the Secretary shall coordinate the use of appropriate financial incentives, grant programs, and other Federal financial resources to ensure that electric infrastructure delivery entities are able to participate in the regional pilot projects.

6.

Authorization of appropriations

There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary such sums as are necessary— (1)to develop the Plan; (2)to pay the salary and expenses of the LEEP coordinator described in section 4(e); and (3)to carry out the regional pilot projects under section 5.