Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) has joined with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) to introduce the Military Vehicle Fleet Electrification Act, which ensures the transition of the non-tactical fleet of the Department of Defense to electric or other zero-emission vehicles.
According to Hirono's website, the bill requires at least 75% of “all non-tactical vehicles, such as cars, vans and light-duty trucks, purchased or leased by DOD or procured or leased by the General Services Agency (GSA) for DOD, to be electric or zero-emission vehicles while applying Buy American and other standards to create good American jobs.”
“Transitioning the Defense Department’s noncombat vehicle fleet to electric and other zero-emission vehicles is a critical step in reducing our government’s carbon emissions,” Hirono said, according to her website. “This legislation will help combat climate change while helping to ensure our military has the advantages of a modern fleet of vehicles that reduces the military’s dependence on oil.”
The Defense Department currently owns more than 174,000 non-tactical vehicles across its service branches. It’s the second-largest federal vehicle fleet, after the U.S. Postal Service, and the largest institutional consumer of petroleum in the world.
In addition to requiring that at least 75% of non-tactical vehicles purchased by the DOD are electric, the bill also ensures that electric vehicle components (including batteries) are sourced from the U.S. or allied countries; authorizes the DOD to allow privately operated charging stations at commissaries and exchanges on military installations; and authorizes DOD to use its authority for unspecified minor military construction projects to support electric vehicle charging station infrastructure at military installations.
In addition to Hirono and Warren, this legislation is cosponsored by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sen. Edward Markey (D-MA), Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Sen. Angus King (I-VT). U.S. Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA), chair of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness, introduced the legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.