Some of the most affluent “non-urban” areas in the U.S. are eligible for electric vehicle (EV) charger subsidies from President Joe Biden’s signature climate bill.
Made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the administration’s EV charger tax credit program is specifically designed to route subsidies that cover up to 30% of the costs of chargers to “low-income” or “non-urban” areas of the country. Some of the wealthiest and most exclusive locales in America are eligible for the subsidies through 2030 thanks to the Biden administration’s broad definition of “non-urban” Census tracts, according to a Daily Caller News Foundation analysis of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) interactive eligibility map.
The administration considers a “non-urban” area to be any Census tract in which at least 10% of the Census blocks — the smaller parcels that combine to make up a Census tract — are not designated as urban areas, according to the Treasury Department. This broad definition allows for many affluent enclaves frequented by America’s upper-crust to qualify for federal subsidies to build EV chargers.
These areas include Malibu, California; Vail, Colorado; Montauk, New York; and Greenwich, Connecticut.
“Malibu, California, is a great example of questionably calling a place ‘non-urban’. Most people who live in Malibu don’t consider themselves to be in a rural area. They are barely outside the city limits of Los Angeles, the second-largest city in the country. They may not have skyscrapers in Malibu, but it’s not like those folks have a long trek to the nearest charging station,” David Ditch, a senior policy analyst for the Heritage Foundation, told the DCNF. “The Biden administration understands how unseemly it is to be paying for the lifestyle of the nation’s elite. When you are subsidizing EVs, that’s exactly what you’re doing … It staggers the imagination to think that the administration thinks this is acceptable.” (RELATED: Biden’s EV Dreams May Be Screeching To A Halt As Consumer Enthusiasm Wanes)
Sen. Stabenow (D-MI): “I drove my electric vehicle from Michigan to here last weekend and went by every gas station and it didn’t matter how high it was.”
Just wait until she finds out how electricity is produced pic.twitter.com/OS5TN78gbz
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) June 7, 2022
Building a national network of EV chargers is a key aspect of the Biden administration’s EV agenda, but the charging infrastructure currently in place is concentrated in more densely-populated coastal regions of the country. The Biden administration’s tax credit program is specifically tailored to reduce the costs of charger construction in parts of the nation that may otherwise be less inclined to install them
The emphasis on “low-income” and “non-urban” parts of the country qualifying for eligibility matches the Biden administration’s wider push for so-called “environmental justice,” which is essentially the combination of social justice ideology and climate policy. A previous Daily Caller News Foundation analysis found that numerous high-end locales favored by American elites qualify for the EV charger subsidies because they technically meet the definition for a “low-income” zone.
Large swaths of Greenwich, Connecticut, an extremely affluent town in the New York City metropolitan area, qualify for the tax credit, according to the DOE’s map. One part of Greenwich that is eligible for the subsidy is the exclusive and pricey Belle Haven neighborhood, where many waterfront homes are valued above $15 million and as high as $42 million.
Avalon, New Jersey, a high-end beach town on the Jersey Shore, is eligible to access the subsidies, according to the DOE’s map. One five bedroom, six bathroom home valued at $6.8 million is located in the eligible zone in Avalon, as is a beachfront property worth approximately $7 million.
Some of Long Island’s most coveted real estate also meets the definition for “non-urban” areas, according to the DOE’s map. Parts of Amagansett, Montauk and Bridgehampton all qualify for the tax credit, and numerous exorbitantly expensive estates are located in eligible pockets.
Elsewhere on the East Coast, Sea Island, Georgia, meets the “non-urban” definition, according to the DOE’s map. The Sea Island Resort, a luxurious retreat that offers exquisite dining options, championship golf courses and high-end shopping, falls within the eligible zone. One home on the island that is for sale for nearly $5.5 million lies in the eligible area, as does a 50-acre lot valued at $42 million.
Kiawah Island, South Carolina, the wealthiest locale in the state and the home of Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, is also considered a “non-urban” area that qualifies for the EV charger tax credits, according to the DOE’s map. Several pricey estates are within the eligible pockets of the island, including an $18 million beachfront property and a bevy of homes worth at least $4 million that border the island’s excellent Turtle Point Golf Course.
The upscale “non-urban” areas that qualify for EV charger subsidies are not confined exclusively to the East Coast.
Parts of Jackson, Wyoming, a renowned ski town in the Teton Mountains, can qualify for the subsidies, according to the DOE’s map. All of Vail, Colorado, one of the nation’s priciest ski resorts, is also eligible as a “non-urban” area.
Considerable segments of Napa Valley in California are also considered eligible for the subsidies as “non-urban” areas, according to the DOE’s map. Included in the eligible area in California’s wine country is The French Laundry, an exorbitantly expensive three-Michelin-star restaurant where Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom attended a November 2020 dinner party for one of his political advisers, violating the COVID-19 edicts his administration had implemented in the process.
Almost all of Tiburon, California, a gorgeous peninsula located across the bay from San Francisco, qualifies for the tax credit as a “non-urban” area, according to the DOE’s map. Almost every single home in Tiburon is valued at or above $2 million, with one mansion valued at $17.8 million and another estate located on the outer edge of the eligible pocket at almost $9.5 million.
The outer reaches of Malibu, another oceanside locale in California, qualifies for the tax credits because it is considered a “non-urban” area, according to the DOE’s map. Included in the eligible pockets are numerous chic oceanside homes worth up to $11.3 million.
“This credit will help make EV chargers and clean alternative fuels more accessible in areas where clean fuel infrastructure deployment is needed,” a DOE spokesperson told the DCNF. The agency did not directly address questions regarding whether it thinks it is appropriate for numerous affluent enclaves to be eligible for federal EV charger subsidies.
The White House did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
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