NATSO CEO Lisa Mullings Discusses Electrification With Transportation Stakeholders
NATSO President and CEO Lisa Mullings underscored industry calls for public policy that encourages private sector investment in electric vehicle charging for both heavy-duty trucks and passenger cars during a meeting of the Road Gang in Washington, D.C. Sept. 12.
Specifically, Mullings highlighted NATSO’s support for maintaining the prohibition on commercial services at state-operated rest areas, including electric vehicle charging. She also discussed the need to extend the biodiesel tax credit to ensure that fleets can access existing low carbon alternative fuels while they transition to electric trucks.
“EV charging is a key part of the industry’s future. We want the market for electric fuel to develop as rapidly as possible,” said Mullings. “But we have serious concerns with EPA’s mandated timelines, which do not account for how long this will take and how expensive and disruptive this transition will be. We also have concerns with the latest attempt by lawmakers to upend the longstanding law that has incentivized the private sector to cater to the needs of highway motorists.”
Mullings said that NATSO opposes the RECHARGE Act introduced by Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) which seeks to amend the longstanding federal law prohibiting commercial services at state operated rest areas to allow EV charging stations.
States are working with the private sector under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure grant program to build out their EV charging networks. Changing the rules to grant states an unfair competitive advantage on the Interstate right-of-way would upend those investments just as they are starting to gain momentum.
Mullings also discussed NATSO’s support for H.R. 9060, legislation that would extend the biodiesel blender’s tax credit for one year.
Road Gang is an informal group of business and government executives, highway engineers and consultants from the highway transportation industry who meet periodically to exchange ideas among Washington’s transportation community.
Mullings was joined at the lunch by Clean Freight Coalition Executive Director Jim Mullen and representatives from American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). NATSO is a member of the Clean Freight Coalition.
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