In support of World EV Day, Tempe Mayor Corey D. Woods and Councilmember Lauren Kuby joined electric vehicle (EV) advocates for a press conference to call for Congress to pass a budget that makes bold investments in clean transportation infrastructure and electric vehicle charging stations. Moms Clean Air Force Arizona and Plug In America sponsored this event as part of a $10 million grassroots campaign conducted throughout August and September in 12 states to demand ambitious investments in clean energy, environmental justice and climate solutions organized by the Climate Action Campaign.
The featured speakers called for U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema, as well as Senator Mark Kelly and Arizona’s others leaders in Congress, to support the Build Back Better Budget (BBBB), which would make much-needed investments in clean vehicles and EV charging stations to cut pollution, create jobs, address environmental injustice and tackle the climate crisis.
“Clean transportation means more than just reducing carbon pollution,” said Tempe Mayor Corey Woods. “We know that these investments can bring new businesses, create jobs, stimulate local economies and create long-term cost savings for cities like Tempe. We’re ready to get serious on transitioning to clean technologies, and we need everyone in Congress to join us and deliver on the Build Back Better Budget and give us the resources to get there.”
Transportation accounts for almost a third of all U.S. air pollution and is the country’s single largest source of climate-harming carbon pollution. Investments in clean transportation and EV charging stations are essential for reducing Arizona’s air pollution, improving public health, achieving environmental justice and spurring local economies. The Build Back Better Budget features significant investments in EV charging stations that will help expand clean transportation infrastructure in Arizona.
“Tempe already recognizes the need to transition to a cleaner economy,” said Tempe Councilmember Lauren Kuby. “We know that clean transportation and electric-vehicle infrastructure have immense potential to keep Arizona on the cutting edge of the clean economy, which is why we need the Build Back Better Budget to include robust investments to help our cities accelerate that expansion.”
These investments are overwhelmingly popular. Approximately 61% of voters support investments in electric vehicles and charging stations to reduce pollution and help more Americans buy clean-energy vehicles.
“Electric vehicles are already compatible with most Americans’ lifestyles, and advancements continue to make it an even better option for people across the country,” said Joel Levin, executive director of EV non-profit Plug in America. “Not only is transitioning to electric vehicles a matter of environmental necessity in a state like Arizona, but it’s also an opportunity for people to fuel their car for less than half the price of gasoline. We support clean, affordable, domestic electricity to reduce our nation’s dependence on petroleum, and we need Senators Sinema and Kelly to deliver on a budget that gets us there.”
“Communities of color and lower income communities in this state suffer disproportionately from increasingly severe extreme heat waves and fires, not to mention the pollution caused by traditional vehicle pollution,” said Columba Sanz of Moms Clean Air Force. “But these investments in clean technologies and clean vehicle infrastructure also give us an opportunity to see some of the benefits of the growing clean energy economy reach these same communities. Whichever way you look at this situation, we are not just talking about infrastructure, but also about justice, and we need Congress to pass the Build Back Better Budget and ensure it reflects those concerns.”
