In an unexpected twist to the Biden regime’s environmental policy, affluent areas, including Martha’s Vineyard, Montauk, and parts of Nantucket, have been designated as “low-income” communities, making them eligible for federal tax credits for electric vehicle (EV) charger installations, Daily Caller reported.
As part of its efforts to encourage the adoption of EVs, the administration has extended a subsidy program, which was initially targeted at increasing access to EV chargers in underserved communities.
The White House recently announced the initiative, promising “up to 30% off the cost of the charger to individuals and businesses in low-income communities and non-urban areas.”
“The Department of Treasury and the Department of Energy are releasing intended definitions for eligible census tracts that will confirm that the Inflation Reduction Act’s 30C EV charging tax credit is available to approximately two-thirds of Americans. This tax credit provides up to 30% off the cost of the charger to individuals and businesses in low-income communities and non-urban areas, making it more affordable to install EV charging infrastructure and increasing access to EV charging in underserved communities,” the White House announced last month.
However, this move has unexpectedly benefited some of the nation’s wealthiest enclaves, where median home prices significantly exceed the national average.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) eligibility map, areas such as Martha’s Vineyard – the well-known summer haven for the rich and powerful, with homes regularly priced in the millions – have been marked as eligible for these subsidies.
The classification hinges on a part of the IRS code that allows areas to be considered low-income if their median family income falls below 80% of the surrounding metropolitan area or state, despite the actual wealth that may be present in these locales.
This classification has sparked controversy and debate, given Martha’s Vineyard’s status as a top-tier vacation destination, with high-profile residents including former President Barack Obama, who owns an estate on the island valued at nearly $12 million, per NBC Montana.
Daily Caller reported:
For example, nearly half of the landmass of Nantucket Island, one of the ritziest summer vacation destinations favored by New England’s elite, is eligible for EV charger subsidies, according to the DOE’s interactive eligibility map.
The Vineyard Haven area of Martha’s Vineyard, another destination frequented by New England’s upper crust, is also eligible as a “low-income” area, according to the DOE’s map. For context, many of the homes in the covered area are valued at well over $1 million, with several properties valued between about $2 million and $5 million. Former President Barack Obama also owns a massive $11.7 million estate on the island.
Large pockets of Cape Cod, another pricey locale, are also eligible for “low income” EV subsidies. This includes Hyannis, the longtime home br of the Kennedy political dynasty, and Great Island, which features numerous multi-million dollar properties.
The entirety of Fishers Island, New York, is also deemed a “low-income” area eligible for subsidies, according to the Biden DOE. The island is “an exclusive enclave where generations of old-money families gather to sail and golf,” according to The Wall Street Journal. Historically, dynastic American families like the Roosevelts, Rockefellers and DuPonts have gone to Fishers Island to vacation, according to the New York Post.
A considerable portion of Montauk, a quaint and pricey Long Island vacation spot frequented by the New York City metropolitan area’s well-to-do, is also eligible through 2029 for “low income” EV charger subsidies, according to the DOE’s map.
Some of the property valuations in the “low-income” zone of Montauk are exorbitant. Indeed, one home is valued at $17 million on Zillow. The real estate website values another home in the area at just under $10 million, and another is valued at more than $6 million. Numerous other homes with valuations well above $2 million are also in the area eligible for EV charging subsidies.
