Charging up on campus? There’s a policy for that

By Danielle Harrison

Smoke Signals editor

Are you a Tribal employee with an electric vehicle who wants to plug in while at work? If so, the Tribe is requesting that all employees review and sign the EV charging station policy beforehand.

“The Tribe needs to be able to track usage and potential future usage for EV chargers around campus, as well as making sure all employees have access to the EV chargers,” Tribal Engineering & Community Development Department Manager Ryan Webb said. “Therefore, it is important for all employees to read and understand the policy and sign the policy to make sure they adhere to it.”

Among other things, the policy requires that employees using charging stations on the Tribal campus register with Tribal security and display a Tribally issued tag at all times, not exceed a 4-hour per day charging time limit, use the space only when actively charging their vehicle and avoid using non-EV designated electrical outlets.

“I wanted to let everyone know we will be installing additional EV chargers around campus,” Webb said. “That work will likely start in late spring and all EV chargers should be online by late summer.

The additional chargers are funded by an Oregon Department of Transportation grant.

The Tribe first installed a solar-powered charging station on the Tribal campus in 2023. There are also charging stations at Spirt Mountain Casino and at Grand Ronde Station.

For a copy of the charging policy, contact Webb at ryan.webb@grandronde.org.