We are subject to the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld) and the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011, as amended, in Queensland, Australia and the Occupational Health and Safety Act 1984 (WA) and Occupational Safety and Health Regulations 1996, as amended, in Western Australia, Australia. This legislation establishes certain responsibilities for persons conducting a business to secure the health and safety of workers and workplaces including duties to eliminate or minimize risks to health and safety as is reasonably practicable and various record keeping, disclosure and procedural requirements.
NEMA
The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (“NEMA”) is the association of electrical equipment and medical imaging manufacturers. NEMA provides a forum for the development of technical standards that are in the best interests of the industry and users, advocacy of industry policies on legislative and regulatory matters, and collection, analysis, and dissemination of industry data.
Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
In November 2021, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (“IIJA”), a bipartisan infrastructure bill, was signed into law in the United States. The IIJA authorizes $18.6 billion to fund new and existing EV-related programs, including (i) $5 billion in new funding to develop and build a nationwide network of 500,000 EV charging stations, referred to as the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program (the “NEVI Program”); (ii) $2.5 billion for publicly accessible alternative fuel infrastructure (i.e., EV charging stations and hydrogen, propane and natural gas fueling infrastructure), referred to as the competitive Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grants program (the “Competitive Grants Program”); and (iii) approximately $10.9 billion in funding for transitioning school buses, transit buses and passenger ferries to low- and/or zero-emissions alternatives.
Both the NEVI Program and the Competitive Grants Program prioritize charging infrastructure along the National Alternative Fuels Corridor, a network of designated highways nominated by states with signage to highlight routes with available charging stations open to the public and easily accessible. Both programs also have an 80% federal cost share, meaning states must provide 20% of project costs.
Tritium intends to target the funding under the NEVI Program and the Competitive Grants Program either as a direct recipient or indirectly through supporting charging equipment operators that have chosen to use our charging equipment. If our charging equipment fails to comply with standards or requirements implemented in connection with the NEVI Program, the Competitive Grants Program or any other aspects of the IIJA, we may be unable to target or access funding under those programs.
NEVI Program
Under the NEVI Program, eligible public entities may contract with private sector entities to acquire and install publicly accessible alternative fuel infrastructure such as EV charging stations and hydrogen, propane and/or natural gas fueling infrastructure in their designated areas. The NEVI Program is intended to provide dedicated funding to states to deploy EV charging infrastructure and establish an interconnected network intended to facilitate data collection, access and reliability. Funding under this program is expected to first be directed to build out a national EV charging station network, principally along interstate highways. Funds may also be used to contract with private entities to install, operate and maintain publicly accessible EV charging facilities. On February 10, 2022, the Federal Highway Administration (“FHWA”) published initial guidance for the NEVI Program. On August 2, 2022, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Energy announced that all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico had submitted their EV Infrastructure Deployment Plans to the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation (“Joint Office”). These plans indicate how each state intends to utilize the funding it receives under the NEVI Program. Submission of an EV Infrastructure Deployment Plan is a prerequisite to receiving funding under the program. The FHWA and the Joint Office will review the plans and continue to work with the states, with the goal of approving eligible plans by September 30, 2022.
In addition, on June 9, 2022, the FHWA issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NOPR”) on minimum standards and requirements for projects funded under the NEVI Program and for EV charger construction projects funded under Title 23 (Highways), United States Code. The NOPR seeks to ensure there will be a nationwide network of EV chargers that can be used by any type of EV. The NEVI Program also has several guidelines in the use of program funds relating to user experience and reliability, strategic and efficient locations, equity, labor and workforce, private investment and data and cybersecurity, among other things. In particular, with respect to user experience and reliability, under the NEVI Program charging infrastructure must be interoperable across payment systems, EV brands, EV supply equipment, EV service providers, and the grid and must also provide 24-hour access to power on a reliable network and achieve 97% reliability.
Competitive Grants Program
The Competitive Grants Program (also known as the Corridor and Community grants) provide competitive grants to states, local governments, metropolitan planning organizations, and other public-sector entities to support the installation of publicly accessible charging infrastructure, or stations for alternative fuels such as hydrogen or natural gas. The IIJA requires at least 50% of these funds to be designated for a community grant program prioritizing rural and low- and moderate-income communities with a low ratio of private parking spaces. Notices of funding under the Competitive Grants Program are expected in late 2022.
Environmental Laws and Regulation
We are subject to a variety of environmental laws and regulations, including, among others, water use and discharge, air emissions, use of chemicals and recycled materials, energy sources, the storage, handling, and disposal of hazardous materials and waste, the protection of the environment and natural resources, and the remediation of environmental contamination. We are required to obtain and comply with the terms and conditions of environmental permits, many of which may be difficult and expensive to obtain and must be renewed on a periodic basis. A failure to comply with these laws, regulations or permits could result in substantial civil and criminal fines and penalties, the suspension or loss of such permits, and possibly orders to cease the non-compliant operations.
Air Emissions
Our manufacturing operations may be required to meet certain emissions limitations, either by the use of emissions control equipment or modifications to our manufacturing practices. These operations may also require permits or require us to otherwise register our facilities with various government agencies. Failure to obtain such permits or comply with such emissions requirements may result in substantial fines or penalties, require us to expend substantial resources to obtain compliance, or otherwise adversely impact our business or results of operations.
Hazardous Materials and Waste
We are subject to laws and regulations regarding the handling and disposal of hazardous substances and solid wastes, including electronic wastes and batteries. These laws generally regulate the generation, storage, treatment, transportation and disposal of solid and hazardous waste, and may impose strict, joint and several liability for the investigation and remediation of areas where hazardous substances may have been released or disposed. For instance, Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (“CERCLA”), also known as the Superfund law, in the United States and comparable state laws impose liability, without regard to fault or the legality of the original conduct, on certain classes of persons that contributed to the release of a hazardous substance into the environment. These persons include current and prior owners or operators of the site where the release occurred as well as companies that disposed or arranged for the disposal of hazardous substances found at the site. Under CERCLA, these persons may be subject to joint and several strict liability for the costs of cleaning up the hazardous substances that have been released into the environment, for damages to natural resources and for the costs of certain health studies. CERCLA also authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency and, in some instances, third parties to act in response to threats to the public health or the environment and to seek to recover from the responsible classes of persons the costs they incur. We may handle hazardous substances within the meaning of CERCLA, or similar state statutes, in the course of ordinary operations and, as a result, may be jointly and severally liable under CERCLA for all or part of the costs required to clean up sites at which these hazardous substances have been released into the environment.
We also generate solid wastes, which may include hazardous wastes that are subject to the requirements of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”) and comparable state statutes. While RCRA regulates both solid and hazardous wastes, it imposes strict requirements on the generation, storage, treatment, transportation and disposal of hazardous wastes. Certain components of our products may be excluded from RCRA’s hazardous waste regulations, provided certain requirements are met. However, if these components do not meet all of the established requirements for the exclusion to apply, or if the requirements for the exclusion change, we may be required to treat such products as hazardous waste, which are subject to more rigorous and costly disposal requirements.
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