Webinar: Introduction to the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation (Text Version)

This is a text version of Webinar: Introduction to the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, presented on Feb. 24, 2022.

Alex Schroeder: All right. So to introduce myself, my name is Alex Schroeder. I am the interim lead for the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation. Again thrilled that all of you are joining us. I'm joined by a number of my colleagues in the Joint Office representing the national labs, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Energy. You'll be hearing from myself, Rachael Nealer, Kelsey Owens and Steve Lommele so an all-star team here to kind of introduce the world to the new Joint Office of Energy and Transportation. So I think before we get started really want to acknowledge the opportunity that is in front of all of us. I know many of those that are on the line, and we are approaching 250 people, have dedicated a good portion of their careers, their professional lives, and quite frankly their lives to sustainable transportation.

I think the next few years are really going to be an incredible generational opportunity to translate the vision and a lot of the things that I know many of us have discussed individually, collectively over the years and really put that to action. And we're going to need a broad set of stakeholders really moving in the same direction to make this successful. I also want to acknowledge the innovation that is happening with the creation of the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation itself. It's truly a novel construct where two cabinet-level federal agencies are formally joining forces to promote their shared interests and leverage each other's efforts. So I think we've already seen some of the benefits of that that can be gained by bringing together the collective expertise of DOE and DOT. And I think we're really optimistic that the Joint Office will embody the best of both departments and enable better outcomes for everyone. So you can go ahead and go to the next slide Johanna.

So moving into the substance many of you may be asking what is the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation and what are you going to be doing? And so the legislative direction of the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation was set out in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that was signed last November. It really assigns nine key areas to the Joint Office. They are listed on the slide. It's actually relatively concise for legislation, but I would say very broad in terms of scope. I think the scope ranges from technical assistance for EV charging and zero-emission refueling infrastructure all the way to utilizing our right-of-ways for generation, distribution, and electric transmission that is needed to really enable the sustainable resilient electric transportation future. The office did receive initial funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which will help to establish significant efforts in these activities. I will also mention here really the Joint Office is intended to be a force multiplier. We're not tasked with the direct administration of many of the programs in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law but again are really intended to be kind of a center of excellence and leverage for the Departments of Energy and Transportation and hopefully more broadly across the federal government. Johanna if you could move to the next slide please.

So we've tried to take our legislative direction and combine that into the broader culture and objectives of the Department of Energy and Department of Transportation and really be clear and concise about the mission and vision of the Joint Office. You will see DOE and DOT values reflected in our mission. They really emphasize electrifying our transportation system, a scope that's much more than EV charging but also includes transit, rights-of-way, as well as an implicit recognition that we should consider ways to look at how we also reduce overall travel demand in a way that doesn't compromise mobility. The Joint Office vision again is intended to be very succinct and clear and really describes the future that we are hoping to enable and again very much with the partnerships through all of you. And that vision is a future where everyone can ride and drive electric. Next slide please.

So what does that mean in terms of what we're going to be doing and how we get started? As I mentioned it is a very broad scope, but we have to focus our focus and identify the priorities. I also mentioned earlier there are a number of significant programs in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that cut across DOE, DOT, and other federal agencies. There are four significant programs to call everyone's attention to that the Joint Office is really going to be focusing on again with the goal of creating unified guidance, top notch truly world class technical assistance to both federal agencies, as well as implementing stakeholders and that could be states, that could be transit agencies, that could be utilities, that could be any number of stakeholders. And also providing some underlying analysis that will help inform investments but also learn as we go. All four of these programs are multiyear programs. They will not occur in a vacuum. It's going to be important that we adapt to the market and technology as it evolves.

So maybe just quickly going through these. The first one which we're going to spend a good amount of time talking in detail about today is the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program. This is $5 billion that has been provided to DOT and inevitability and ultimately through the states to support the development of a national charging infrastructure along corridors. There is a discretionary program that looks both at corridors and communities that is scheduled to come out later this year. There is the existing low-no emissions program in the Federal Transit Administration and a significant increase in funds available to transit operators for bus deployments, as well as an existing program within U.S. EPA to support the conversion of school buses to clean technologies such as electrification. So next slide please.

So the team has been hard at work since the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was passed. And a lot of the work actually extends well before that to lay the groundwork and form the legislation and really start to think about implementation. This is maybe just a quick timeline of the Joint Office and some of our direct efforts. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was signed into law by the president on November 15th and with that signature really started the clock on a number of timelines that we'll be referring to later. It did establish the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation or I should say it gave the directive to the two secretaries to establish the office. And then it also started our efforts really moving forward in earnest working with Department of Energy and Department of Transportation to launch the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program. In December Vice President Harris announced the Biden-Harris Electric Vehicle Charging Action Plan. This is a comprehensive set of activities that is occurring across the federal government to really support the administration's vision for electrification and the opportunity for the U.S. to be a leader in this space, it's much more than the Joint Office and includes contributions from across federal government. But I would mention that the Joint Office was prominently highlighted as part of that charging plan. And this action plan actually was followed immediately the next day by a memorandum of understanding which secretaries Granholm and Buttigieg signed to really establish the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation and outline their expectations for what this Joint Office will do. The photo on the right is from the event where that MOU was signed. It's a great story. It's a gas station in Maryland that was converted to be all electric and the secretaries showed up in a black federal – I'm sorry, a black Ford Mustang electric vehicle. And it was a great event. There is a video online for those of you that didn't see it. You might check that out. But really was the beginning of the Joint Office.

We have been working very hard and kind of in the background in the meantime to establish the office. Just earlier this month we launched DriveElectric.gov. That was launched alongside a broader announcement made by President Biden and the administration on some exciting developments with electric vehicle charging and manufacturing growing and being established in Tennessee. But again a number of other activities in this place. And then a big announcement two days later that really rolled out the first step of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program through program guidance which we're going to talk a bit about more. And that formally started the Joint Office's technical assistance. The last thing that I would say – and this is really critical and I know we have a number of folks on the line from state transportation offices, state energy offices. You all are our customers and really the implementers of these programs. And it's going to be very important that we establish those partnerships. We have formalized a partnership with ASHTO who represents the state DOTs and NASEO who represents state energy offices. So very much I think symbolic of the kind of the nexus at the federal level. But it's going to be really critical working with both of those organizations, as well as our state-level counterparts to again get feedback in real time, learn from each other and ultimately help this program be successful. Next slide please.

So we're going to be really diving into the we'll call it NEVI for shorthand, again the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program. So the program guidance that I referenced earlier is available on DriveElectric.gov. This is really the guidance that starts the clock and helps to kind of set expectations with states on the program and how to develop their state plans. So this guidance was announced February 10th by Secretaries Grandholm and Buttigieg. They were joined by White House National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy as well as Mitch Landrieu who is the senior advisor to the president on implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The guidance provides additional detail on the program that was outlined in legislation but also I think really importantly starts to identify the contours of what a national EV charging network will look like. It describes funding features. As I mentioned earlier it really kicks off the state planning process in earnest and we'll talk a little bit about the timeline for that later. It talks about project eligibility. What is the scope of this program? As well as really again critical to the Joint Office the technical assistance and tools that are available through us to really help you all be successful and start to really calibrate everyone's work again towards this national network. So next slide please.

So I will admit the guidance, I believe it's about 30 pages, which is a lot or a little I guess depending on your experience with federal program guidance. There is a lot to unpack in there and so I would encourage all of you if you haven't read it to go to DriveElectric.gov, take a look at it. Really some great details in there. I'll offer a couple of things to really frame out the overall effort. This guidance was informed by technical analysis really looking at the existing infrastructure, anticipated demand for charging, as well as vehicle capabilities to really identify what are some of the key criteria and characteristics of a charging network that meets the needs for today while also positioning the network for the future. The guidance represents common denominators that are needed across the network. We expect that many locations will need to think beyond these minimum guidance points and we do have a technical team in the Joint Office that is here to help you think through that.

That said I think there are a couple of characteristics that jumped out of the guidance that we maybe would point out just in terms of what does the kind of the technical shape of this network. And so maybe just highlighting a couple elements of the guidance. We are really recommending that states look at placing these charging stations every 50 miles along the highway system with an emphasis on interstates. So again emphasizing the need for seamless connectivity in a national network. The interstate highway system really represents the backbone of the nation's transportation infrastructure, and I think will help to really start to plant the seeds of that seamless national network. We are encouraging states to site these within a mile of the interstate and highways just to ensure ultimate driver convenience. We are recommending that every site have at least four 150 kilowatt DC fast chargers with a combined charging system or CCS port. We are also recommending that each of these ports be able to be used simultaneously at full capacity really as a way to emphasize the driver experience so that people know when they pull up to one of these charging stations what they will be getting. And I think that's really an important point to emphasize here is thinking about this network ultimately from the standpoint of the drivers that are going to use it and really desire and strive for a top-notch experience.

I think one of the things we've talked about internally with how to describe success for this network. I think it's imagining how we completely remove concerns around the availability and accessibility of EV charging stations from the mind of current and future drivers. How can we take range anxiety out of the equation? How can we take whether or not a charging station will be available or provide the advertised charging capacity out of the equation and just make it easy for people? So again I wanted – this is just a handful of many of the interesting things in the guidance but maybe just some things to call out to your attention. I will also emphasize the focus is on corridors. The additional $2.5 billion discretionary program will look at corridors but also community charging, which is something that we've gotten a lot of questions around and is a critical part of that national EV charging network. If you want to go to the next slide please.

So these are really just some additional key considerations outlining the guidance. Deadlines for submission, funding levels and match requirements, equity and Justice40 considerations. So a big area of emphasis for this administration and really wanting to be consistent with ensuring that 40% of the benefits of this charging network occur in disadvantaged communities, wanting to be cognizant about workforce. So I won't go through all of these but really this is kind of the table of contents if you will for the program guidance. So a really robust document, would again encourage all of you if you haven't looked at it to go to DriveElectric.gov and check it out. So I think at this point I'm going to turn it over to my colleague Rachael Nealer who is our acting deputy director and is going to talk about how the Joint Office intends to partner with states on developing their EV charging plan. So over to you Rachael.

Rachael Nealer: Thank you so much Alex. So Alex just went through a short list of the kind of table of contents of the guidance. I'm going to go in a little more detail on the timeline and the project eligibilities. So next slide Johanna. Thank you. So what to expect as kind of next steps. So we released the guidance on February 10th as well as the request for nominations for round six alternative fuel corridors. So in the meantime the Joint Office will be offering lots of technical assistance both in a proactive and a reactive strategy to work with the states in their state planning. So there's a lot of detail in the program guidance but that's not as useful as reaching out directly to us and really understanding some of the context around it. There's only so much you can get out of the black and white on the page. So that's really what Alex was talking about as far as offering up our technical assistance and kicking that off on February 10th when the guidance was published. And on the right you'll see kind of an overview of the timeline. That's on page seven of the guidance so you can review that in more detail. You don't need to review it as closely here. I'm just going to kind of walk through it.

Then you can expect in May that we will publish some more details on the minimum standards. That was a legislatively directed requirement for us, for the Federal Highways Administration actually in collaboration with the Joint Office and DOE to publish minimum standards. And really the concept for the minimum standards is ensuring the uniformity across stations and making sure that we are fundamentally providing a seamless and convenient customer experience no matter where the station is, whether it's in Nevada or whether it's in California or whether it's in Maine. We want to really be able to offer the same level of service as a baseline. Of course there will be many other ways to increase the offerings at the stations. But we want to make sure that there's kind of a base level for the convenience and seamless user and consumer experience. Also in May the round six nominations will be due for the alternative fuel corridors. And that plays a key part in how we build out the formula program. Using the alternative fuel corridors is first where those stations are going to go.

Finally on a rolling basis but definitely due by August 1st we will have the state plans submitted to the Joint Office. And so the Joint Ooffice really wants to be like I said proactively and reactively engaged in the state planning process even before the August 1st deadline because we also want to understand what we think the state plans are going to look like on August 1st. Because we're going to have approximately a two-month window by September 30th, a recommendation to the Federal Highway Administration in terms of whether the state plans in the first year will be, is acceptable to certify. And I'll mention here that the state plans that we're expecting are not only a one-year plan in detail but also kind of a five-year overview. And the point behind that is to really understand the strategic buildout of the states. So we don't want to – although we'll be reviewing plans on an annual basis we don't want to approve them on an annual basis without kind of an end goal in mind because we think that's going to lead to kind of the patchwork buildout that we want to avoid. We really want to make sure that this is a national, convenient, reliable, and equitable charging network and to do that we need to have all the state plans and be able to review them in coordination with each other in that first year but also in the five-year build out overview. Johanna next slide.

So getting to the project fund eligibility. So this is really what you can use the funds for once they do get approved by the Joint Office and certified by the Department of Transportation. So first and foremost is the obvious, the acquisition and installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure but kind of in the subtext there in the guidance is that it also includes upgrades and distributed energy. So any way that really supports electric vehicle charging infrastructure is what we're going for. We don't necessarily need to reinvent the wheel on stations that are already existing and maybe need just a little bit of upgrades in order to kind of provide the level of service that we're looking for for the national network. And so this is all the way from breaking ground and putting in new electric vehicle chargers to also just upgrading existing ones to make sure they're compliant with this program.

The operating assistance is really there and a concept behind making sure that we have the support for sites that initially might have low utilization. The concept really here is that we don't want to crowd out private investments or even public and private investments of high utilization sites. And so making sure that while we have a relatively low percentage of EV sales right now, although they are growing, that the utilization might not be there yet. But eventually as we get to the goal of 50% EV sales by 2030 as set out by the president, by that time the operating assistance might not be as necessary. But we want to make sure that we're building this out in a way that the infrastructure is a full network and some of those stations might not necessarily be, have the highest utilization from the onset.

Development phase activities is another bucket of activity for eligible funds. The couple that I want to highlight here is especially the community engagement because that's going to be really important for states and how they develop their Justice40 pieces of this program. So we want to make sure that the states, state DOTs are talking with the various communities about how to install EV charging, where the needs are, where the demands are so that it is done in a bottom up type of way and really targeting 40% of the benefits going to disadvantaged communities in compliance with that Justice40 goal. On premises signs and traffic control devices are just kind of two ways to also make sure that the EV charging stations are seen and noticed by not only EV drivers that are on the road that might want to utilize the stations but also as a means to highlight it for other interested consumers that might be considering an electric vehicle but are a little bit worried about that range anxiety. As Alex mentioned we're trying to get rid of that range anxiety and really make sure that people have this convenient consumer experience.

Data sharing is really there to be a key to the overall network and program evaluation and is the feedback that we will need as the joint office to evolve the program and the investments over the five years. So that data sharing is really key in kind of the long-term success of the network. And then finally mapping and analysis activities are there to, are also very key to the Justice40 principles. But they are there to help evaluate the EV market by region, make sure that states are evaluating their specific needs. We really want these to be state-specific plans that roll up into a national network. But it's also important to site strategically for current use and future use. And some of that future use might also include things like medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles, shared mobility, micro transit applications, transportation network companies like Uber or Lyft, as well as what are the impacts to the grid. Where are we thinking we're going to need upgrades in the grid in order to support the overall EV charging network? Next slide please.

And then finally how are we going to do this? One of our key principles for the Joint Office is this big tent concept. It's very clear even the initial partnerships that we've established. There's a lot of really great work that has already happened. We're not starting from scratch. We're already at round six of the alternative fuel corridors. So there's a lot of really great substantive work to build off of not only in the private sector but also in the public sector. And so we're looking to establish this respectful collaboration with experts across the entire supply chain of building these electric vehicle stations because we want to share in this vision of everyone being able to ride and drive electric. So it's really looking at extending what I would say is kind of our initial whole of government approach.

Fundamentally the Joint Office is a collaboration between two agencies, but we're also working as Alex said with EPA. And we want to be here as kind of a force multiplier and a resource provider and working closely with states, local governments, as well, and public, sorry, private investors as well. So there's a lot of people so extending that whole of government approach to kind of as I've been thinking of it whole of stakeholder approach. We need to bring a lot of people along with us to make this vision a reality. But I think it's really doable. And so the Joint Office is going to serve as a focal point for collaborating and pulling these components all together so that we are building a national EV charging network that's convenient, reliable, and equitable. So with that I will pass it over to Steve who is our acting stakeholder engagement lead.

Steve Lommele: Thanks Rachael. Hi everyone. I'm Steve Lommele. I'm on the transition team for the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation. I know Alex provided a really great interview of the Joint Office including our focus areas, our mission and vision and some of our near-term priorities, one of which of course is the NEVI formula grant program. And Rachael walked us through the timeline and the funding eligibility and the overall approach for that, as well as the approach for technical assistance, which recognizes that big tent if you will, a community of experts who have been working to support transportation electrification for many years. So in support of the NEVI formula program one immediate priority is to engage with state DOTs as you develop your state plan.

And to that end we've developed robust technical assistance offerings available to states and other stakeholders that are designed to help ensure that these state plans meet the needs of individual states while also enabling that reliable, equitable, convenient, and affordable national network of EV charging. So our goal right now is to engage with states really early in the process as you develop your state plans and make sure that we're collaborating throughout the process so that those plans are successful in addressing the requirements of the NEVI formula program guidance. And the front door to reaching the Joint Office is DriveElectric.gov. So I encourage you to visit the site and contact us, sign up for our newsletter. This is where you can find out about upcoming events. We have career opportunities posted here. We've got access to data and tools that will support your state plan development and also access to guidance. I've seen a few questions come up about the state plan template that is referenced in the 90-day guidance and that will be up very shortly probably in the next few days.

But most importantly I would like to encourage you to use DriveElectric.gov to connect with the technical assistance team. As I mentioned one of our immediate goals is to ensure that we have a relationship with the states. And to that end we'd like to establish a lead contact for each state DOT who is going to be responsible for overseeing the state plan development. So if that's you, you can use the contact form on DriveElectric.gov to reach us. The contact form is the best way to reach us and establish a relationship with the team of technical assistance experts who are available to support your state plan development. You can also call or email us. Next slide please.

So I've got that contact information here. Inquiries that come into the Joint Office are processed and we route your questions to our team of technical assistance experts. So we're quipped to answer questions about program guidance, we can field media inquiries, support analysis efforts that will go into the state plan using some of the tools and resources that are offered by that big tent community that Rachael mentioned earlier. That includes national labs, DOE and DOT programs, NGOs, and other stakeholders. And then we're also going to use the questions that you ask and challenges that you face to inform future updates we make to information, resources, and tools available on DriveElectric.gov. So I just want to acknowledge this is a new effort for many of us and we hope to collaborate throughout the process and I think we're all going to be continuing to learn as we go. So those questions that you address to us are going to inform a lot of the ongoing technical assistance that we provide. Next slide please.

So we're also going to use feedback collected through the inquiries to the Joint Office to share information out through a series of webinars and what we're calling workinars so opportunities to work together on some of the specific challenges outlined or that states may be facing as they develop state plans. So as I've emphasized we really expect to collaborate with states throughout the state plan development and implementation process and so on some of our upcoming workinars we're going to work through specific challenges that relate to the guidance and other plan topics. So if you are a state contact please save the date now for March 8th and 10th. We're going to be doing two webinars that week and they'll be repeats so you only have to attend one. But we're going to be working through some specific content and the guidance and then answering your questions. We'll be posting those shortly to DriveElectric.gov but please also sign up for our newsletter. And you can do that by going to the bottom of any of the DriveElectric.gov pages and signing up there as well. That's the best place to receive regular updates about opportunities to engage with the Joint Office through webinars, workinars, and other resources. Next slide please.

So my earlier point about collaboration. We're also beginning to schedule one-on-one meetings with some of you to answer your questions and understand technical assistance needs. So you can use our contact form or email us to set up a meeting. There have been a number of questions about who is eligible for technical assistance and who can access the technical assistance resources available through the Joint Office. So again our primary emphasis right now is to work with state DOTs and other state agencies as they work to develop their state plans. There's going to be a lot of players involved here, private industry, NGOs, all sorts of folks like that. And so we want to work with all of you in support of the development and implementation of state plans. Next slide please.

So the AFDC Station Locator is the foundational data set for corridor data and stations that meet NEVI formula program guidance. So you can actually go on there right now to see which stations already comply with the guidance and the NEVI formula program. And you can access that on the data tools page of DriveElectric.gov. But if you have specific questions about stations or corridors, we're a resource for you and ready to help. So I realize some of this is pretty complex and we're happy to answer specific questions related to station eligibility, highway eligibility, and all of that stuff. So thank you. We really look forward to working with you. And with that I'm going to turn it over to Kelsey Owens.

Kelsey Owens: Good afternoon everyone and thank you so much for joining us. My name is Kelsey Owens. I'm an environmental protections specialist with the DOT secretary's office of policy and just wanted to touch base really quickly on equity and Justice40. So equity is very much a key priority of this administration and ensuring that the nationwide network of EV chargers is developed in an equitable way that can serve everyone regardless of where they live is really vital to success. And Justice40 is part of that effort. So Justice40, like Alex mentioned before, is an initiative created by President Biden through an executive order that instructs federal agencies to set a goal that at least 40% of the benefits of certain federal investments, which include clean energy, flow to disadvantaged communities. So states are required to consider equity and Justice40 in the development of their state EV infrastructure deployment plans. And in support of that the Joint Office website includes a variety of resources for states to use, including current guidance from the White House and from DOE, with DOT's Justice40 guidance forthcoming, and equity tools including the DOT and DOE EV charging Justice40 map, DOE's energy justice dashboard, the Federal Highway Administration's EJ screening tool, and DOT's rural EV toolkit. Next slide please.

So in looking at how equity and Justice40 will apply to NEVI, states will need to analyze how their proposed EV infrastructure deployment plans and their new network will impact disadvantaged communities. NEVI guidance instructs states to engage with rural, underserved, and disadvantaged communities and stakeholders, which includes relevant suppliers and contractors, to develop their plan. And then the plan needs to reflect this engagement. We really recognize that this can and will take time and are absolutely happy to work with states as they work to plan out their public engagement. And then following that public engagement, states will use all of the information that they've gathered through resources and tools and outreach to determine which communities their stations will benefit and how, keeping in mind that these benefits can include things like job growth.

An important note for Justice40 for the NEVI program, Justice40 doesn't require that 40% of all chargers have to be physically located in disadvantaged communities but that 40% of the benefits go to disadvantaged communities. And we're happy to work with you to parse that out and make those determinations. For the NEVI funding that's going to be set aside for community charging and then later for our discretionary grant programs, the process to ensure that we achieve equity will be more nuanced, meaning the public engagement will be even more vital to ensure that chargers are being placed in locations that really do maximize the benefits to disadvantaged communities. So DOE and DOT will be continuing to discuss equity and Justice40 implementation with our partner federal agencies and also with the White House. So we'll be able to update guidance and provide some additional information as states move forward with developing their plans. Next slide please.

So in addition to the equity and climate impact tools I've already mentioned, the Joint Office website DriveElectric.gov – we're very proud of it – has a wide variety of tools, analyses, and other resources that are aimed at helping states to develop their plans. We have network and environmental data tools, including best practices and information for our alternative fuel corridors, federal and state laws related to alternative fuels and vehicles, air quality, fuel efficiency, and other transportation-related topics, and then guidance from the National Institute of Standards and Technology to help organizations manage and reduce their cyber security risk.

We also have modeling and simulation tools from our national laboratories, including the Caldera simulation platform from the Idaho National Laboratory, which models how EV chargers draw power from the grid and then also from the electric vehicle infrastructure modeling suite, which includes tools from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory that can inform the development of large-scale EV charging infrastructure deployments. And the Joint Office is available to support any of the ongoing state questions as you work to develop plans, things like how to deploy EV infrastructure in cold or mountainous regions or in corridors with charging demand forecasted above and beyond the four ports that is referenced in the NEVI guidance and any questions like that. Please feel free to reach out to us. Next slide please.

So how can you get involved with us and with the new EV programs? So for states for the NEVI guidance we request that you identify a point of contact for your state DOT and that that person contact the Joint Office as soon as possible. We're really going to be using those contacts to make sure that we're staying in touch with all the states and to work to further develop our relationships together. At any time please feel free to reach out to us through websites, email, or by phone. Keep watching out for future state-specific webinars and workinars. We have two webinars coming up on the 8th and 10th of March. But they'll be duplicative, so you only have to pick one unless you really want to get more information. Please also review the 90-day guidance and then later then 180-day minimum standards when it's released. Please reach out to us with any questions you have on either of those documents. And then very vitally please prepare for the August 1st state plan deadline. We again want to help you make sure that you've reached those deadlines. And so come to us with any questions as early as you can and we can make sure to get those addressed for you. Next slide please.

And then for other stakeholders that would like to be involved in the Joint Office and the new EV programs, we really strongly welcome and encourage your engagement. We have a variety of opportunities for stakeholder engagement that will exist with the state and then the Joint Office level. So reach out to your state DOTs and energy offices directly and then watch out for request for proposals that you might be able to participate in. And again reach out to us at the Joint Office. Our doors are open. Call us, email us, watch for webinars, participate in regional and corridor working groups, watch for sources sought opportunities, and then sign up for our news alerts. Next slide please.

So in addition to everything we've shared there's more information on DriveElectric.gov. Please sign up for our newsletters like I said and reach out to us. If you have any suggestions on additional things that the website could contain that would be useful for you as a state or as another stakeholder please let us know. We want this to be a highly effective resource for you. Next slide. And so thank you so much for joining us today. We really appreciate the time that you've taken to spend with us and really look forward to building our relationships with you and partnering with you as we move forward in this absolutely once in a lifetime opportunity to build out EV infrastructure in the U.S. Thank you.

Steve Lommele: And hi everyone. This is Steve Lommele again. There have been a number of questions that have into me via direct message, and I've been attempting to answer those as we've worked our way through the webinar. But if I haven't gotten to you, please do reach out to us at DriveElectric.gov using the contact form. Like I mentioned we've got a team of experts that are standing by to answer some of these more complex questions. I've already asked a few of you to follow up with us there. But again just visit DriveElectric.gov and go to the contact form and submit your question and we will get back to you very quickly.

Alex Schroeder: All right. Well thanks to Rachael, Steve, and Kelsey and again thanks to all of you for joining us today. The first of what I hope will be many engagements as we get started on the journey of the Joint Office and building a world class national EV charging network that works for everyone. So we'll look forward to seeing you all in the future.