The Greenlining Institute works towards a future where communities of color can build wealth, live in healthy places filled with economic opportunity, and are ready to meet the challenges posed by climate change. Over three decades, Greenlining has pioneered cross-sector racial equity solutions and passed policies that have resulted in over $600 billion in corporate and private investments into communities of color in California and across the nation. Since 2011, Greenlining has been on the leading edge of research, advocacy and capacity building efforts to ensure low-income people of color benefit from and have access to electric vehicles and charging stations. We are not only working to ease the disproportionate burden of the effects of air pollution and climate disasters on these communities, we are advancing policies to open the door to a just economy where everyone can benefit.  

In 2018, Greenlining led the Charge Ahead Coalition to successfully advocate to designate $236 million of the $738 million approved by the California Public Utilities Commission for vulnerable communities in large scale EV projects and secured over $550 million for charging infrastructure and EV access programs in disadvantaged and low-income communities through the Volkswagen Diesel settlement. Greenlining worked extensively with the CPUC and CA legislature to pass policies and support regulations that ensure equitable deployment of 1,625 electric vehicle charging stations and adoption of clean technology solutions in disadvantaged and low-income communities throughout California. Based on our experience, Greenlining developed racial equity guidance for EVs including the Clean Mobility Equity: A Playbook. Lessons from California’s Clean Transportation Programs, detailing Greenlining’s four-step process to operationalize equity in clean transportation programs, and providing recommendations for future replication. We currently facilitate a multi-state community of practice to support the implementation of equitable electric mobility strategies in Colorado, Virginia, North Carolina, Illinois and Michigan.