Statement by Adrienne Alvord, Union of Concerned Scientists

California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. (D) today announced a $120 million settlement with NRG Energy Inc. that will fund a network of electric vehicle charging stations across the state. He also issued an executive order that lays the foundation for 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) on California roads by 2025.

The electric vehicle charging network will include at least 200 public fast-charging stations along with an additional 10,000 plug-in units at 1,000 locations across California.

The settlement, which stems from California’s energy crisis, comes on the heels of the state Air Resources Board‘s (ARB) update to the groundbreaking ZEV program. Revisions adopted in January include the most significant change to California’s ZEV program in its 20-year history—requiring battery, fuel cell, and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles to account for up to 15 percent of California’s new vehicle sales by 2025.

Below is a statement from Adrienne Alvord, California and Western States director for the Union of Concerned Scientists:

“Using the settlement in this creative way is turning a dark chapter in the state's recent past into a fantastic opportunity to build our future. This is an example of the sort of imaginative leadership we welcome to help create a cleaner and more secure future.

“Governor Brown’s executive order and the settlement are significant and creative commitments to a clean energy future for California. More electric vehicles on the road and more charging stations will help create jobs in California while cleaning our air, tackling global warming, and protecting consumers from pain at the pump.

“Increasing accessibility to charging infrastructure throughout the state should give consumers greater confidence in choosing an electric vehicle as their next vehicle purchase, and goes hand in hand with the ARB's ZEV program that ensures automakers will continue to expand their offerings of plug-in electric vehicles.”

The Union of Concerned Scientists is the leading U.S. science-based nonprofit organization working for a healthy environment and a safer world. Founded in 1969, UCS is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and also has offices in Berkeley, Chicago and Washington, D.C.