Washington, DC— The Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition (GWRCCC) a public-private partnership that promotes the use of clean, American transportation fuels, improved air quality and environmental justice and EVNoire, the nation’s largest network of diverse electric vehicle (EV) drivers and enthusiasts, united on Thursday, April 21, 2022, at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the grounds of the White House for a meeting and discussion with key staff from the Biden-Harris Administration on “Advancing Racial Equity in Energy, Environment & Transportation.” The meeting increased the awareness among Biden-Harris staff and stakeholders about opportunities to advance equitable multimodal electrification, alternative fuels and environmental education and outreach, as well as workforce and economic development opportunities and advance public health.
Some of the eight point priorities includes: funding for targeted EV education and community outreach; funding to increase diverse businesses in the e-mobility sector; targeted funding for technical assistance and grants for the support of e-mobility workforce & economic inclusion; conducting e-mobility equity forums and listening sessions across the country; and creating provisions for diverse businesses, organizations and vendors to obtain federal contracts and funding.“There’s an urgency now to engage and elevate opportunities for vulnerable and frontline communities who have borne the brunt of transportation emissions due to historical and systemic inequities. This may be our only chance to leverage this transformational funding to accelerate multimodal EV adoption and workforce and economic development opportunities while also improving public health,” Dr. Shelley Francis, Co-Founder of EVNOIRE.
“These recommendations will help provide a real framework for real solutions to help make real change to foster equity that expands opportunities for underserved communities and populations in energy, environment, transportation, and public health. This is an important moment in history. We cannot become merely spectators or just consumers while these significant investments are being made in clean energy, transportation and the environment,” stated Antoine M. Thompson, Executive Director of the Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition.