Washington DC – Today, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-CA) and Congressman Salud Carbajal (D-CA) announced a grant award of $12 million for electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure across Ventura County. Specifically, the funding will be used for the construction of an east and west county EV charging center and 190 EV charging ports countywide. Additionally, the funding will support the county’s multi-modal transportation efforts, expand EV workforce development programs, as well as invest in e-bike integration and upgrade pedestrian-safety infrastructure. With this funding, the County of Ventura will make critical investments to ensure that residents, businesses, and visitors to the region are able to take part in a cleaner, greener, and safer future, while creating jobs and strengthening the local economy.
“The promise of greener, healthier communities holds great weight in the work that I do in Congress. Alongside advocating for environmental sustainability efforts and taking action to address the climate crisis with the urgency this existential issue demands, I am working to ensure that Ventura County residents have safe and reliable modes of transportation and transit to travel to and from their destinations,” said Congresswoman Julia Brownley. “That is why I am proud to have joined the County of Ventura and its community partners in securing funding for this transformational project. Because of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and more specifically this grant funding for EV charging infrastructure, the County of Ventura will make critical investments so that residents, businesses, and visitors to the region are able to utilize a cleaner, safer, and more accessible transportation network, while creating jobs and strengthening our economy.”
“When Rep. Brownley and I were helping to move the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law forward through our roles on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, we understood that our goals of expanding use of zero-emission vehicles and cutting carbon pollution were only possible if we also approve investments in public charging infrastructure,” said Congressman Salud Carbajal. “I’m proud to see mine and Rep. Brownley’s work helping to write and pass that landmark law now delivering our community such a robust return on that investment. I look forward to seeing this grant helping to create new charging availability across Ventura County.”
“The receipt of these funds is monumental for Ventura County and will go far toward the expansion of sustainable energy infrastructure in the county,” stated Supervisor Kelly Long, Chair of the Ventura County Board of Supervisors. “The County of Ventura is grateful to have been selected by the Department of Transportation to receive this grant and for the opportunity to create a significant investment in green energy. We’re delighted to have the support from Congresswoman Brownley and Congressman Carbajal which helped secure this funding.”
Recently, Brownley and Carbajal joined local leaders at the Thousand Oaks Transit Center to announce the award.
“The City of Thousand Oaks is grateful to Congresswoman Brownley and our Senators for supporting this grant. This project will fund the development of a regional resiliency hub at the Thousand Oaks Transit Center (TOTC) through the construction of eight fast-charging stations with solar and battery back-up enabling charging during power outages and emergencies. The funding will also support the installation of electric charging stations adjacent to multi-family housing to ensure access for all residents,” said Thousand Oaks Mayor Al Adam.
On January 12, 2024, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) awarded $12,000,000 to the County of Ventura for the EV Ready & Resilient Ventura County Project, which will invest in EV charging stations and infrastructure to support a more resilient and cleaner community. The investments outlined in the project include:
- East and West County EV Charging Centers with solar and battery storage to provide first responders and the public EV charging during grid outages and emergency events.
- Implementation of off grid EV charging combined with solar battery storage for rural communities that experience relatively frequent intermittent grid outages.
- Multiple fast chargers and level 2 chargers spread throughout Ventura County for community and corridor charging opportunities.
- E-Bike integration to reduce vehicle miles traveled and promote multi-modal transportation opportunities to those who rely on bikes as their primary transportation mode.
- Workforce development programs to train workers in the installation, maintenance, and operation of the expanding EV supply equipment network.
- EV-related engagement of historically marginalized communities in partnership with existing CBO’s through “house meetings”, workshops, community events, development of multilingual outreach materials and coordination with community leaders.
This project was funded through the USDOT Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) grant program, which was newly created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. CFI funding is supporting 47 projects across the country, including the EV Ready & Resilient Ventura County Project, to create publicly accessible electric vehicle (EV) charging.
As members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Brownley and Carbajal played instrumental roles in authoring and passing the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (H.R. 3684), which is the largest federal investment in the nation’s infrastructure in decades.
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Issues: 118th Congress, Climate Crisis, Energy and Environment, Jobs, Economy, and Small Business, Transportation and Infrastructure