A bill that would add seven electric car chargers to parking lots around campus will appear before the ASUU Assembly and Senate later this month.
The bill, authored by Rep. Mark Pittman and Sen. John Soares of the College of Law, is seeking $29,000 for funding to install seven electric car chargers, two in the parking lots near the dorms, and two each in the parking lots near Rice-Eccles Stadium, Merril Engineering and Social Behavioral Science. One is already in the process of being installed. The charging stations, which cost $4,000 each, will give priority to students and will take between four and seven hours to charge a vehicle.
Pittman said because the U is a state entity, it does not have to pay an electric bill, which means that because ASUU is funding the money for the station there will be virtually no cost for the U to add these charging stations.
According to RedBook, the ASUU bylaws, there must be $50,000 in the general reserve, and since the general reserve has over $200,000, Pittman said it would be more logical to use that money to get the $29,000 of funding rather than try and raise the $2.50 sustainability fee that is included in student fees.
“This may not cost the entire amount of money — if it doesn’t, it will go back into the general reserve,” Pittman said.
Pittman also said this would be a huge step for the U since the school is already one of the greenest in the nation as well as in the Pac-12.
“We are trying to encourage commuters,” Pittman said.
He also said because the U is a commuter school with a small portion of the student body living on campus, by installing these charging stations students shopping for a new car might go electric rather than for the typical gas-powered vehicles to commute to campus.
Since most of the current Assembly and the Senate ran with sustainability as part of their platform, there should be little if any opposition to the bill, Pittman said.
“If there is [opposition], then that is hypocrisy at the greatest level, and I think we’re going to try and fight that as much as we can,” Pittman said.
Other members of ASUU have seemed excited about this bill and the future sustainability bill that will be presented during spring semester.
“Every small step in this direction is a good thing,” said ASUU president Sam Ortiz, a senior in social work. “I hope to see even more student driven initiatives on campus.”
Ortiz also said that while the U is doing many things when it comes to sustainability, there are still things that could be done or improved.
“Sustainability is a priority for our administration, and I believe it is my duty to support the efforts of students who are working on these issues,” Ortiz said.