On the recordMay 24, 2012
Mr. President, I rise today to discuss S. 739, a bill which authorizes the Architect of the Capitol, AOC, at no cost to the Federal government, to create and install electric vehicle recharging stations in Senate parking facilities. This bill likely would have never seen the light of day it were it not for the perseverance and hard work of my good friend Senator Levin. He worked tirelessly to make this bill a reality, and I am so proud to stand with him. This bill was drafted with bipartisan support. Senator Alexander and I join Senators Kerry, Murkowski, Bingaman, Merkley and Stabenow in supporting this bill sponsored by Senator Levin. It bears repeating: This bill creates a program that will not cost the Federal government one dime. S. 739 funds the installation and maintenance of the charging stations by billing the individuals who use the plug-in stations. S. 739 works on a simple premise: the more people who drive electric cars on campus, the more plug-in stations the AOC will install. S. 739 insures that the demand for plug-in stations will match the number of dues paying participants who fund the program. This bill is needed as more and more people decide to buy electric cars. Currently, the Architect does not have the authority to install plug-in stations on the Capitol campus. This bill fixes that problem in a smart, cost effective manner.





