The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs plans to install 18 new electric vehicle charging ports in Madras and Warm Springs thanks to a $2.6 million federal grant announced Thursday.
“We appreciate that this grant supports our sovereign interests by allowing our government to control pricing and benefit from the generated revenue at the charging stations. It falls in line with our long-term vision to take care of the Creator’s gifts and sustain our way of life, while also helping us to invest in more jobs, housing and infrastructure for our people,” said Warm Springs Tribal Chairman Jonathan W. Smith Sr. in a press release.
The money comes from President Joe Biden’s 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which established a grant program through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration for EV charging infrastructure in public areas throughout rural and urban places, especially in underserved communities, according to the release.
The 18 charging ports will be split between the Indian Head Casino in Warm Springs and the Plateau Travel Plaza in Madras, an enterprise of the tribe.
“This much-deserved investment in the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs recognizes the important role Tribal communities play in the climate crisis battle and the increasing significance of electric vehicles to win that fight,” U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, said in a press release.