EV Charging Stations & Great Outdoors Month
Here's the latest dispatch.
Good afternoon,
For you newbies out there, welcome to Outsider on the Inside. I hope this dispatch from in and around the nation’s capital on underreported topics finds you well.
Today, June 1st, kicks off Great Outdoors Month—a very undervalued month-long celebration. Check out a primer here if you’re unaware.
If you’re just discovering my musings, here’s a backgrounder and make sure we’re connected on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Quick Thoughts
Support and follow the work of IWF’s Center for Energy and Conservation today if you haven’t already.
Job Creators Network found 923 federal rules costing $1.6T since January 2021 have been enacted. $1.2T in costs from rules finalized this year. Ooof.
ESG proponents now recognize reliable base load power is needed for data centers? Imagine that.
Bravo, Exxon Mobil and Shell for rejecting net-zero fanaticism.
Vogtle Nuclear Plant in Georgia is now fully operational. Now our government wants 98 more nuclear power plants.
The National Park Service is NOW confirming a Denali staffer did complain to the Federal Highway Administration about the American flag controversy heard around the Lower-48. Damage control mode. Yikes!
Is Virginia seriously in play for the 2024 election? I sure hope so.
That’s all for this week. Stay tuned for next Friday’s update!
Biden EV Charging Station Plan Off To A Bumpy Start
In 2021, the Federal Highway Administration was given $7.5 billion to construct 500,000 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations by 2030. But only eight have been built as of May 2024.
During an exchange with CBS’s Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg failed to explain this underwhelming result:
MARGARET BRENNAN: The Federal Highway Administration says only seven or eight charging stations have been produced with the $7.5 billion investment that taxpayers made back in 2021. Why isn’t that happening more quickly?
SECRETARY BUTTIGIEG: So the President’s goal is to have half a million chargers up by the end of this decade. Now, in order to do a charger, it’s more than just plunking a- a small device into the ground, there’s utility work, and this is also, really, a new category of federal investment. But we’ve been working with each of the 50 states, every one of them is getting formula dollars to do this work–
BRENNAN: Seven or eight, though?
SECRETARY BUTTIGIEG: –Engaging them and the first handful- again, by 2030, 500,000 chargers. And the very first handful of chargers are now already being physically built. But again, that’s the absolute very, very beginning stages of the construction to come.
BRENNAN: Right. But- but that gets to the point about not being able to make long distance travel possible quickly, if you don’t have the infrastructure there to support it.
The $7.5 billion grant originates from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in November 2021. $5 billion of that $7.5B reportedly was awarded to “states as ‘formula funding’ for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program.”
In November 2023, POLITICO reported that zero charging stations had been built. In March 2024, it was reported that a mere seven charging stations across four states had gone online.
The Biden administration has repeatedly said that “public investment” in EV charging stations will inspire more Americans to buy electric vehicles. But that’s not true.
There are already 183,000 privately-run EV stations currently operating in the U.S. The majority, over 140,000, are Level 2 charging stations that take 4-10 hours to achieve an 80% charge in battery electric vehicles (BEV) and 1-2 hours to achieve an 80% charge in plug-in electric vehicles (PEV). Their availability hasn’t compelled the majority of Americans to make the switch to electric cars.
The Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently reported EV and hybrid vehicle sales decreased during Quarter 1 2024—the first decline observed since 2020. Automatic industry experts affirm this. The slowdown started in early 2024, which prompted CNBC to declare EV euphoria “dead” in March of this year.
Elevating Women in Conservation
This week, two interviews I did went public. First, was my appearance on the All American Wingshooting Podcast hosted by Anna V. Outdoors.
Second, my spot on Kristy Titus’ Wild and Uncut show dropped today too. We filmed this episode live on the ground in SCI Convention in Nashville back in February. Join us for a wide-ranging conversation! My clip starts at the 33:42 mark:
ICYMI
Articles/commentary/media appearances from the past week.
MEDIA MENTIONS
I joined WMAL News O’Connor and Company to chat the Denial National Park American flag controversy.
Fox News cited my tweet criticizing Department of Labor erasing women in the workplace.
I appeared on the All-American Wingshooting Podcast hosted by Anna V. Outdoors. And my interview on Kristy Titus’ Wild and Uncut podcast was published this week.
And spoke to The Epoch Times and about the poorly rolled-out federal EV charging station plan.
ARTICLES/BLOGS
Townhall: American Flags Fit Into The National Park Experience
IWF: Biden EV Charging Station Plan Off To A Bumpy Start
District of Conservation
Catch up on District of Conservation episodes below.
And check out a new episode of The Sportswoman Show with my friend and fellow fly angler, Angelica Talan!
Thank you for reading! Let me know your thoughts and encourage your friends to subscribe to the newsletter too.
—Gabriella