Fuel Industry Groups Urge Minnesota & Iowa to Revise EV Infrastructure Funding Rules
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Multiple industry organizations, including NATSO, SIGMA and NACS, all urged the Minnesota and the Iowa Departments of Transportation to revise their National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program rules and remove limitations on annual profits generated by grant recipients that will discourage private sector participation.
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"The decision by the Minnesota and Iowa Departments of Transportation to impose a 15% limit on profits generated by NEVI grant recipients shows a fundamental lack of understanding for the extraordinary risk and capital expenditures that the private sector must undertake to implement [electric vehicle (EV)] charging stations," Tiffany Wlazlowski Neuman, vice president of public affairs for NATSO, said in a released statement. "As national trade associations, we generally refrain from engaging in state advocacy initiatives. But we have serious concerns that the NEVI proposals put forth in Minnesota and Iowa will jeopardize private sector participation in a program that was clearly intended to kick start a cohesive, national charging network."
The organizations emphasized their commitment to expanding EV charging networks and pointed to the infrastructure capacity their members already own or operate, such as advantageous locations, security and amenities, as reasons to continue to partner with the private sector. However, they also pointed to the need for retailers to make a return on their investment into retrofits or new builds.
"Setting limits on the private sector's ability to generate meaningful and sustainable returns on charging station investments will discourage the very types of entities from entering the EV charging space that the NEVI program should be trying to attract," said Wlazlowski Neuman "We strongly encourage Minnesota and Iowa to revise their requests for proposals and instead implement the NEVI program in a way that attracts private business."
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Founded in 1960, NATSO represents America's travel plaza and truck stop industry on legislative and regulatory matters; serves as the official source of information on the industry; provides education to its members; conducts an annual convention and trade show; and supports efforts to generally improve the business climate in which its members operate.