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Advocacy

Key Issues

Policy Priorities

National policies to support 100% electric vehicle sales.

Through expert testimony, educational materials, and timely press pieces, ZETA provides authoritative EV-related insights and advises policymakers on how to develop policy that supports the best use of federal resources to drive transportation electrification.
See Endorsed Legislation
Regulatory Submissions

ZETA has actively engaged in the regulatory process supporting the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). 

  • ZETA submitted comments to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) on the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program created under the IIJA. The comments inform FHWA on the minimum standards that will ensure the sustainable and effective use of program funds to support a reliable, ubiquitous federal charging network.

ZETA has also submitted several comments in support of IRA implementation, particularly with regards to the consumer and manufacturing tax credits included in the law. These include the following comments to the Department of Treasury:

ZETA has also submitted comments to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as part of EPA’s updates to the Renewable Fuel Standard, including comments supporting the creation of Renewable Identification Numbers from renewable electricity (eRINs) that would increase the amount of renewable energy used to support transportation. 

ZETA has also submitted comments as part of EPA’s work on other programs, including:

Coalition Advocacy Letters

Together, we are driving support for an electric future.

ZETA endorsed a letter to Michael Regan, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, to finalize robust light-duty vehicle greenhouse gas emissions standards before the end of this year that achieve climate and air quality benefits at least as great as those of the most protective option proposed by EPA for consideration. The letter asks the EPA to work with environmental justice communities to ensure they are included in the rule’s decision-making process. The letter received signatures from 95 Democratic offices across the House and Senate.

ZETA joined the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, Computer & Communications Industry Association, and Save our Standards in a letter urging Congress to pass the Defending American Patents Act (DAPA) in order to protect American patent law, innovation, and competitiveness.

ZETA wrote a letter to the Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, and the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation advocating for relief from the geographic targeting requirement for taxpayers planning to claim the tax credit for alternative fuel vehicle refueling property under IRC Sec. 30C. 

In this letter, ZETA, the Alliance for Auto Innovation, the Consumer Technology Association, and TechNet urged members of Congress to consider the redundancy of mandating AM radios in all new vehicles.

ZETA joined 38 other organizations in a letter to Congress opposing S.J.Res.11, a joint resolution aiming to cancel a crucial update to nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions for heavy-duty vehicles beginning in model-year 2027.

ZETA wrote to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees requesting funding for several critical programs and offices that support electrification. This was followed by additional joint letters through the CHARGE Coalition and Third Way.

ZETA joined 38 other organizations to urge Congress to oppose S.J.Res.11, a joint resolution aiming to cancel a crucial update to nitrogen oxides emissions for heavy-duty vehicles beginning in model-year 2027.

ZETA joined 35 other organizations in a letter to EPA urging the agency to adopt the strongest Heavy Duty Vehicle (HDV) and Light / Medium Duty Vehicle (L/MDV) standards. The letter argued that Latino/e communities are disproportionately burdened by vehicle air pollution and that setting these standards will help reach the urgent goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2030.

Endorsed Legislation in the 118th Congress
H.R.3249

Protecting Circuit Boards and Substrates Act of 2023

Summary: This bill provides incentives to bolster domestic printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturing, research, and development to reduce supply chain disruptions, address national security concerns related to foreign PCB production, and enhance America's economic leadership. The bill establishes a financial assistance program modeled on the CHIPS Act within the Commerce Department for American facilities manufacturing or researching PCBs; provides a 25% tax credit for entities that purchase American-manufactured PCBs; requires a Presidential determination for single financial awards over $300 million; includes waste, fraud, and abuse protections; and authorizes appropriations of $3 billion to carry out the program.

  • Sponsor: Rep. Moore (R-UT-1) 
  • Original Cosponsor(s): Rep. Eshoo (D-CA-18)
Read more »
H.R.2948

CARS Act

Summary: This bill amends title 23, United States Code, with respect to the operation of certain specialized hauling vehicles on the Interstate System, and for other purposes. The bill states that a State may not prohibit the operation of stinger-steered combination automobile transporters with gross weight of 88,000 pounds or less on any segment of the Interstate System and certain qualifying Federal-aid primary highways. It also requires States to allow an up to 10 percent increase on the axle weight limitations outlined above.

  • Sponsor: Rep. Gooden (R-TX-5)
  • Original Cosponsor(s): Rep. Mast (R-FL-21)
Read more »
H.R. 2849

Rare Earth Magnet Manufacturing Production Tax Credit Act of 2023

Summary: This bill provides a new tax credit for the domestic production of rare earth magnets. The magnets must be manufactured or produced in the ordinary course of the taxpayer's trade or business, and the credit is disallowed if any rare earth material component used to produce such magnets is produced in a non-allied foreign nation.

The bill defines a rare earth magnet as a permanent magnet composed of an alloy of neodymium, iron, and boron, or an alloy of samarium and cobalt, which may also include other material.

  • Sponsor: Rep. Reschenthaler (R-PA-14)
  • Original Cosponsor(s): Rep. Swalwell (D-CA-14)

Read more »
H.R.1440

Modern, Clean, and Safe Trucks Act of 2023

Summary: This bill repeals the 12% excise tax on the retail sale of heavy trucks and trailers.

  • Sponsor: Rep. LaMalfa (R-CA-1)
  • Original Cosponsor(s): Rep. Pappas (D-NH-1), Rep. LaHood (R-IL-16), Rep. Blumenauer (D-OR-3)
Read more »
S.1281

Mining Regulatory Clarity Act of 2023

Summary: This bill amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993, pertaining to the Mining Law, to address the Rosemont Decision, which requires mining plans to include only public lands proved to contain economically-valuable minerals, even if those lands are planned to be used for mining-support activities such as waste or processing sites. The bill reaffirms a practice and previous legal interpretation that some public land use under a mining claim inherently accompanies exploration and extraction activities for other mining-support activities.

  • Sponsor: Sen. Cortez Masto (D-NV) 
  • Original Cosponsor(s): Sen. Risch (R-ID)
Read more »
S.912

Mining Schools Act of 2023

Summary: This bill requires the Secretary of Energy to provide technology grants to strengthen domestic mining education. The grant program awards competitive funding to mining schools for the purpose of recruiting and educating the next generation of mining engineers and other qualified professionals to meet the future energy and mineral needs of the United States. Mining schools may use grant funds to recruit students and to enhance and support programs related to critical mineral extraction, reclamation technology, mineral extraction methods that reduce environmental and human impacts. The bill authorizes $10,000,000 to carry out this section for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2031.

  • Sponsor: Sen. Barrasso (R-WY) 
  • Original Cosponsor(s): Sen. Manchin (D-WV)
Read more »
EV Benefits

Cleaner Air

The transportation sector emits the most carbon pollution in the U.S. EVs produce no tailpipe emissions and are 67% less carbon intensive than gasoline-powered cars over their lifetime. A full transition to EVs would eliminate tailpipe pollutants like NOx, fine particulate matter, and carbon dioxide from our vehicle transportation system.

Economic Growth

Electric vehicles support over 300,000 American jobs, with new EV manufacturing poised to create hundreds of thousands of new jobs in the years to come.  The rest of the world is moving aggressively to seize this generational opportunity. The U.S. must lead this race to create a new manufacturing and jobs sector worth billions.
man charging a car

Real Savings

By going electric, EV owners can save over $700 a year in fuel and an additional $330 in annual maintenance costs. Meanwhile, the retail price of EVs continues to decline as manufacturing scales up. Federal, state and local incentives have the ability to drive greater consumer benefits and EV adoption.

Ease of Ownership

In addition to no longer needing to pay for gas, EVs only include a handful of moving parts versus the hundreds in a traditional gasoline vehicle and thus require far less service and maintenance.  With no oil, coolant, transmission fluid or belts to change, it’s no wonder that 96% of EV owners say they’ll never go back to a gas-powered car.

Healthier Communities

Low-income and frontline communities already faced a disproportionate health burden from mobile source emissions prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.  We now know that exposure to air pollution has worsened COVID impacts in these communities. Full electrification will reduce respiratory illness and save lives.

The Driving Experience

Thanks to the instant torque of an electric motor, EVs also have incredible performance. They can also be safer to drive because of a low center of gravity, and with no traditional engine they have a front crumple zone that protects passengers in head-on collisions.
Mission

We are a first-of-its-kind coalition committed to cleaner transportation.

About ZETA

National policies to support 100% electric vehicle sales.

The Zero Emission Transportation Association (ZETA) is a federal coalition focused on advocating for 100% EV sales. Enacting policies that drive EV adoption will create hundreds of thousands of jobs, secure American global EV manufacturing dominance, drastically improve public health, and significantly reduce carbon pollution.