Charge up, roll out

By Megan Bender

Blue Lake Rancheria is introducing a “One Stop Shop” program that aims to make electric vehicles more affordable to marginalized communities with a strong focus on Native American tribes.

The program rolls out at the Humboldt State University Big Time and Social Gathering April 6 where some of the electric vehicles will be available for test drives.

“There are a number of barriers for tribes within California to transition to clean electric vehicles,” said Blue Lake Rancheria Communications Manager Andrea Marvin. “Many tribes are remotely located, and the EV charging infrastructure needed is unavailable.”

This program is apart of Blue Lake’s efforts to reach zero net carbon emissions by 2030. There are two EV charging stations at the Blue Lake Casino and Hotel and the Rancheria is in the middle of switching their government fleet of vehicles to EVs.

More information on the program will be available at the HSU Big Time and Social Gathering on Saturday. The event will go from 11:00 a.m. to 6 p.m.