V.P. Kamala Harris Visits Prince George's, Learns About County's Electric Car Program

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — Vice President Kamala Harris toured Prince George's County's maintenance facility Monday, where she was briefed about the county's electric vehicle program.

The county currently has a total of 3,891 vehicles, 209 of which are battery-powered or hybrid electric vehicles. Many more hybrid and electric vehicles are on the way, including eight new rapid transit buses.

Officials said the county already has achieved a 10 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the county fleet with a goal of a 25 percent reduction.

The new maintenance facility in Brandywine happens to be a 22,000-square-foot building that houses a mechanics station, efficient wash bay, staff quarters and smart storage areas.

Harris was joined on the tour by U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy and Maryland Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen. Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks welcomed the dignitaries.

“We were Prince George’s proud to welcome Vice President Kamala Harris and other Biden administration officials to Prince George’s County to showcase our county’s investments in electric vehicles,” Alsobrooks said. “Prince George’s County is leading the way to transition our county’s vehicle fleet to clean energy technologies and we are excited that the vice president selected our county to highlight the administration’s agenda for electric vehicle investments. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Build Back Better Act will help counties like Prince George’s more rapidly transition to clean energy vehicles so we can save taxpayer dollars while fighting climate change.”

The county executive also highlighted other areas in which the county is a leader in preserving the environment and fighting climate change.

Prince George’s County leads both the state of Maryland and the DC metro area in community solar deployment, and the county is home to the state’s first large-scale community solar plant. There currently is more than 270 megawatts of solar electricity produced in the county, and it should have 5 megawatts of solar electricity installed on county buildings by the end of 2022.

The county also is home to the largest organics composting facility on the East Coast, substantially reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the waste stream.