President-elect Joe Biden nominated former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigieg to be secretary of transportation last week, and he didn’t waste any time voicing his support and dedication to the future of electric cars in the US.
“Mayor Pete” reiterated the importance of putting ‘millions’ of EVs on the road in the U.S. in a tweet yesterday:
According to the clean energy and environmental justice page of the President-elects website, Biden plans oof accelerating the deployment of electric vehicles is clear. His plans include more than 500,000 new public charging outlets by the end of 2030. Additionally he wants to restore the full EV tax credit in order to incentivize buying EVs.
In his new role, Buttigieg will be expected to implement Biden’s clean energy initiatives: “[Biden] will ensure the tax credit is designed to targeted middle class consumers and, to the greatest extent possible, to prioritize the purchase of vehicles made in America. And, he will work to develop a new fuel economy standard that goes beyond what the Obama-Biden administration put in place.”
Part of Buttigieg’s role as transport secretary, is overseeing the Federal Highway Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Biden issued a statement about Buttigieg’s nomination last week: “I am nominating him for secretary of transportation because this position stands at the nexus of so many of the interlocking challenges and opportunities ahead of us. Jobs, infrastructure, equity, and climate all come together at the DOT, the site of some of our most ambitious plans to build back better. I trust Mayor Pete to lead this work with focus, decency, and a bold vision — he will bring people together to get big things done.”
Before assuming his role, Buttigieg will be subject to approval by the Senate. However, the former Mayor is no stranger to climate adaption as the Democratic candidate put forth a proposal that included $1 trillion in investment in roads, utilities, broadband, public transportation, and lead mitigation while running in the 2020 presidential election.