Congress Urged to Oppose RECHARGE Act

This week EMA joined like-minded associations in a letter of opposition of the RECHARGE Act (S. 4989) to Majority Leader Schumer and Minority Leader McConnell. The bill would allow electric vehicle (EV) charging on the Interstate right-of-way (rest areas), which would undermine small, family owned and operated businesses along the interstate highways by repealing the ban on privatizing and commercializing Interstate rest areas.

Many off-highway businesses have already invested in EV charging stations, and others are in the process of working with their state departments of transportation to install EV charging stations at locations along the Interstate. They are also considering investing in a variety of other clean fuel technologies. Businesses’ desire to invest in these alternative fuels will be unmistakably diminished if EV chargers are permitted at Interstate rest areas. Beyond undermining private investment in EV charging stations, permitting alternative refueling infrastructure at rest areas or on the Interstate right-of-way would inevitably lead EV users to demand additional relaxations of the commercialization ban so they could purchase food and beverages at rest areas while they charge their vehicles