Clean Transportation Jobs and Development Act of 2026

This legislation, titled the Clean Transportation Jobs and Development Act of 2026 , reauthorizes and significantly expands the battery processing and manufacturing programs established under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. It authorizes an appropriation of $6,000,000,000 for fiscal years 2027 through 2031 to support these programs, with a minimum of 33 percent dedicated to critical mineral processing. Grant applications will now require inclusion of workforce training or education consortia investments and comprehensive workforce safety and fire plans, including outreach to local first responders. A key provision of the bill is the establishment of the Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation within the Department of Energy. This office is tasked with eliminating vulnerabilities in the United States energy supply chain by catalyzing domestic processing and manufacturing capacity, reinvigorating the manufacturing workforce, and generating data-backed supply chain insights. The Director of this new office will oversee and provide financial assistance for a wide range of covered projects, evaluate proposals, and offer expertise on policies and financial support for manufacturing and energy supply chains, coordinating with various federal agencies. The bill also mandates the Secretary of Energy to establish a comprehensive Advanced Vehicle Research and Development Program . This program focuses on creating more efficient, sustainable, resilient, and domestically available technologies and materials for advanced vehicles. Its goals include substantially reducing greenhouse gas emissions, lowering vehicle manufacturing and ownership costs, and decreasing reliance on foreign energy sources across the full vehicle ecosystem, from supply chain to end-of-life. Specific areas of research and development under this program include vehicle electrification, advanced battery systems, power electronics, manufacturing processes, and alternative fuels. Additionally, the bill introduces R&D for nonroad transportation to reduce emissions in aviation, rail, and maritime sectors. It also establishes an Advanced On-Road Vehicle Security Program to address cybersecurity and physical security threats to vehicle interconnections with charging infrastructure and the electric grid, and a Vehicle Energy Storage System Safety Program to enhance the safety and reliability of vehicle batteries. To guide these efforts, an Advanced Vehicle Technologies Advisory Committee will be established to advise the Secretary on vehicle technology and mobility system research advancements. Furthermore, a dedicated program for medium-duty and heavy-duty commercial and transit vehicles will support R&D activities for advanced energy technologies in engines, electric drivetrains, lightweighting materials, batteries, and hydrogen technologies for these larger vehicles. This includes integrating multiple advanced energy technologies onto single truck and trailer platforms. An Energy-Efficient Mobility Systems Program will also be created to address the energy impacts of advanced vehicle technologies throughout the transportation sector, focusing on tools and techniques to improve energy productivity. The legislation emphasizes extensive coordination among various Department of Energy offices and other federal agencies, as well as intergovernmental coordination with State and local governments. Overall, the bill authorizes specific appropriations for advanced vehicle research, development, and demonstration, totaling over $2.9 billion for fiscal years 2027 through 2031.