Electrification Coalition applauds Governor Sisolak for his commitment to reduce oil dependence and harmful emissions through electrification of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.
LAS VEGAS, NEV. — Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak signed onto a multi-state agreement Thursday to accelerate the electrification of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, pledging that at least 30 percent of all new trucks and buses sold in the state will be zero-emission vehicles by 2030, and 100 percent by 2050. Nevada joins 16 other states and the District of Columbia as signatories on the Multi-State Medium- and Heavy-Duty Zero Emission Vehicle Memorandum of Understanding.
Sisolak made the announcement Thursday morning via pre-recorded video at an event in Las Vegas hosted by the Electrification Coalition, convening stakeholders from across Nevada for in-depth discussions on the deployment and adoption of medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles throughout the state.
“I’m proud of all the work we’re doing to protect families from climate impacts and air pollution by moving full speed ahead towards a truly decarbonized transportation sector,” Sisolak said. “The multi-state MOU that I signed represents nearly 40% of the U.S. population. By working across states and with many partners, we can accomplish much more together than we could do individually. How we transport ourselves and move goods across the U.S. matters for our economy, for our environment and for the health and wellbeing of our communities. As we’re seeing in real time with record-breaking gas prices, coupled with our lower-than-average electricity rates and our fierce commitment to climate action, now is the time for Nevada to be a leader in transportation electrification.”
In June 2021, the Electrification Coalition delivered a letter signed by 41 businesses, urging Nevada to join the agreement, in recognition of the public health, national security and economic risks that stem from the transportation sector’s dependence on oil. Signatories on the letter to Gov. Sisolak included Amply, EVgo, Mack Trucks, Proterra, Rivian, Siemans, Volvo Group North America, Nestlé USA, and 27 small businesses throughout the state.
“We applaud Gov. Sisolak and the State of Nevada for joining the agreement to electrify trucks and buses,” said Katherine Stainken, Vice President of Policy for the Electrification Coalition. “States are playing a key role in the vital work to transform our transportation system, and Nevada’s participation in this commitment represents a substantial boost to our momentum.”
Motor vehicles, particularly those used for freight, emit harmful pollutants linked to negative health effects, including asthma, chronic bronchitis, heart attacks and lung cancer. Low-income and minority communities are more likely to be located near highways and facilities that are major sources of transportation pollution from medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. According to a report released yesterday by American Lung Association, widespread adoption of electric vehicles by 2050 would result in $7.5 billion in public health benefits in Nevada, as well as 78,900 lost work days avoided, 14,800 avoided asthma attacks and 676 premature deaths prevented.
The United States is the world’s largest consumer of petroleum, accounting for one-fifth of global daily supply. Oil accounts for more than 90 percent of energy use in the U.S. transportation sector, and transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.
Robust public investment and regulatory reform along the EV supply chain has the potential to create more than 500,000 jobs across the United States over a five-year period, according to a report by the Electrification Coalition and its sister organization, SAFE. Nearly 154,000 of those jobs would stem from incentives that make it less expensive to purchase medium- and heavy-duty EVs like trucks and buses.
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About the Electrification Coalition: The Electrification Coalition is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that advances policies and actions to facilitate widespread deployment and adoption of plug-in electric vehicles (EVs) to overcome the economic, public health, and national security threats posed by America’s dependence on oil.