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City of Atlanta | 17 has also produced an EV Readiness Manual to help property owners, residents, and other municipalities understand challenges and opportunities involving the growing popularity of electric vehicles. To sup- port the electric vehicle in- frastructure development, the City has partnered with the EV Project (run by ECOtality), which of- fers free Blink Chargers to EV drivers and commer- cial host sites in Atlanta. Because of the significant strides Atlanta has made in this area, the office was re- cently invited to theWhite House to participate in a forum focusing on how to build stakeholder collabo- ration and effectively develop infrastructure crucial to the needs arising from electronic vehicles. Another major undertaking involves mass transportation, and in this case, Atlanta is preparing infrastructure that will not only improve air quality by lowering fuel emis- sions, but also reduce dependence on fuel for those who take advantage of a new street car system. The City only recently began laying track for this endeavor which, at present, is planned to run between the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site and the Cen- tennial Olympic Park. This project cost $93 million, which includes cost of the streetcar and needed corridor improvements, but half of the costs are covered by a federal stimu- lus grant. Other funding is provided by the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District which is a self-taxing business district. City officials are determined to create a more sub- stantial streetcar system which, if all goes as planned, may expand throughout all of downtown and midtown Atlanta one day. While that connectivity poses benefits for shoppers, students, workers and resi- dents alike, City officials believe it will also prompt business development along traveled corridors, but more importantly, help reduce the emissions which would otherwise under- mine Atlanta’s air quality. As Quarles says, “We all breathe the air, and improving air quality means improving the overall health SS

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