(1) The department's public transportation division must develop and administer a program to support clean alternative fuel car sharing programs to provide clean alternative fuel vehicle use opportunities to underserved communities and low to moderate income members of the workforce not readily served by transit or located in transportation corridors with emissions that exceed federal or state emissions standards. Nonprofit organizations or local governments, including housing authorities, with a demonstrated history of managing or implementing low-income transportation clean alternative fuel and shared mobility pilot programs are eligible to participate in this program.
(2) The department must determine specific eligibility criteria, based on the requirements of this section, the report submitted to the legislature by the Puget Sound clean air agency entitled facilitating low-income utilization of electric vehicles, and other factors relevant to increasing clean alternative fuel vehicle use in underserved and low to moderate income communities. The department may adopt rules specifying the eligibility criteria it selects.
(3) The department may conduct preliminary workshops with potential bidders and other potential partners to determine the best method of designing the program.
(4) The department must include the following elements in its proposal evaluation and scoring methodology: History of successful management of equity focused clean alternative fuel vehicle projects; substantial level of involvement from community-based, equity focused organizations in the project; plan for long-term financial sustainability of the work beyond the duration of the grant period; matching resources leveraged for the project; and geographical diversity of the projects selected.
(5) After selecting successful proposals under this section, the department may provide grant funding to them. The total grant amount available per project may range from $50,000 to $200,000. The grant opportunity must include possible funding of vehicles, charging or refueling station infrastructure, staff time, and any other expenses required to implement the project. No more than 10 percent of grant funds may be used for administrative expenses.
(6)(a) Any property acquired with state grant funding under this section by nongovernmental participants must be used solely for program purposes and, if sold, the proceeds of the sale must be used solely for program purposes.
(b) At the termination of a program for providing alternative fuel car sharing services, the state must be reimbursed for any property acquired with state grant funding under this section that nongovernmental participants in the program retain at the time of program termination. The amount of reimbursement may under no circumstances be less than the fair market value of the property at the time of the termination of the program.