                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

VIRGINIA ELECTRIC VEHICLE GRANT FUND AND PROGRAM; REPORT (§ 10.1-1322.5)

A. As used in this section:
			&#8220;Department&#8221; means the Department of Environmental Quality.
			&#8220;Electric school bus&#8221; means a school bus that is propelled to a
significant extent by an electric motor that draws electricity from a battery
and is capable of being recharged from an external source of electricity.
			&#8220;Fund&#8221; means the Virginia Electric Vehicle Grant Fund established
in subsection B.
			&#8220;Fund and Program project&#8221; means all or any part of projects
pursued for the Fund and Program that are necessary and desirable for (i)
reducing air pollution in order to protect the health of Virginians; (ii)
increasing the number and use of electric school buses in Virginia; (iii)
replacing commercial vehicles or heavy equipment in Virginia that use fossil
fuels with electric vehicles or equivalents that reduce air emissions; (iv)
ensuring a broad geographic distribution of grant awards; and (v) creating
employment opportunities for Virginians.
			&#8220;Program&#8221; means the Virginia Electric Vehicle Grant Program
established pursuant to subsection C.
			&#8220;School bus&#8221; has the same meaning as the term
&#8220;schoolbus&#8221; as defined in 49 U.S.C. &#xA7; 30125, and its successor
amendments.

B. There is hereby created in the state treasury a special nonreverting fund to
be known as the Virginia Electric Vehicle Grant Fund. The Fund shall be
established on the books of the Comptroller. All funds appropriated for such
purpose, and any gifts, donations, grants, bequests, and other funds received on
its behalf, shall be paid into the state treasury and credited to the Fund.
Interest earned on moneys in the Fund shall remain in the Fund and be credited
to it. Any moneys remaining in the Fund, including interest thereon, at the end
of each fiscal year shall not revert to the general fund but shall remain in the
Fund. Moneys in the Fund shall be used solely for the purposes of (i) awarding
grants on a competitive basis through the Program established pursuant to
subsection C or (ii) implementing and administering the Program. Moneys used for
implementing and administering the Fund and Program shall be limited to amounts
necessary to implement the Fund and Program. Expenditures and disbursements from
the Fund shall be made by the State Treasurer on warrants issued by the
Comptroller upon written request signed by the Director of the Department.

C. The Virginia Electric Vehicle Grant Program is hereby established for the
purpose of awarding grants on a competitive basis to Fund and Program projects
pursuant to subsection D from such funds as may be available from the Fund. The
Department shall oversee each grant awarded through the Program and ensure
thorough annual reporting on each such grant. The Program shall be administered
by the Department. In administering the Program, the Department shall consult
with other departments and stakeholders described in subsection E to publish
guidelines and criteria for grant awards, including guidelines and criteria
governing agreements between the Department and grant recipients.

D. Grants shall be awarded for Fund and Program projects that meet these
criteria, and, to the extent practicable, shall follow this order of priority:
(i) Fund and Program projects by public school divisions (a) to cover the costs,
in whole or in part, associated with replacing existing diesel school buses that
they operate with electric school buses that reduce air emissions; (b) to
implement recharging infrastructure or other infrastructure needed to charge or
maintain such electric school buses; and (c) to train workers according to labor
standards to be developed by the Department to support the maintenance,
charging, and operations of such electric school buses and (ii) Fund and Program
projects by public, private, or nonprofit entities in Virginia (a) to assist
with replacing commercial motor vehicles, heavy equipment, or other machinery
owned and operated by the entities that are used in Virginia that rely on diesel
fuels with electric vehicles or equivalent equipment that reduce air emissions
and (b) to implement recharging infrastructure or other infrastructure needed to
charge or maintain such electric vehicles or equivalent equipment.

E. The Department shall consult with the Department of Energy, the Department of
Transportation, the Department of Education, and other agencies of the
Commonwealth, as well as organizations with expertise in the climate and public
health, and other interested stakeholders, to adopt necessary policies and
procedures for administering the Fund and Program and for determining
eligibility, qualifications, terms, conditions, and other requirements for Fund
and Program projects. The criteria for prioritizing Fund and Program projects by
public school divisions shall take into consideration geographic areas with high
asthma rates, lowest measured air quality, and level of air emission from
existing school buses.

F. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary, in no event shall any
allocation of funds be made to the Fund or the Program unless federal funds or
nonstate funds are available to cover the entire cost of such allocation.

G. The Department shall submit an annual report to the General Assembly
regarding administration of the Fund and Program for the preceding fiscal year.
The report shall include the number of grants awarded, the number of vehicles or
equipment replaced, the number of jobs supported, and, to the extent available,
the general environmental or health impact of the Fund and Program. The report
shall be furnished to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Appropriations and
the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations no later than November 1 of
each year. However, no annual report shall be required if the Fund and Program
do not receive funding.

HISTORY: 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 418.