The Trump administration has ordered the US states to suspend the $5 billion electric vehicle charging station program, taking an even more blow to the environmental movement since the president returned to the White House.
In a memo issued Thursday to state transport directors, the Department of Transport’s Federal Highways Administration (FHWA) will not use funds allocated under the Biden administration as part of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program. ordered the state to.
“The new leadership of the Department of Transport has decided to review the policies underlying the implementation of the NEVI Formula Program,” wrote Emily Biondi, assistant manager of planning, environment and real estate at FHWA, in a memo. . “Therefore, the current Nevi Formula Program Guidance dated June 11, 2024 will cancel all previous versions of this guidance,” added Biondi.
“As a result of the withdrawal of the guidance for the NEVI Formula Program, FHWA is immediately suspending approval of electric vehicle deployment plans for all states in all states. Therefore, it is immediately effective and updated, final NEVI. “No new obligations will arise under the NEVI Formula Program until Formula Program Guidance is issued and new state plans are submitted and approved,” she wrote.
Biondi added that reimbursement of existing obligations regarding the design and construction of charging stations will be permitted to prevent disruption in current financial commitments until new guidance is issued.
According to an existing page on the Energy Department website, the Nevi program is funding the state to strategically deploy EV chargers. Funds are available for up to 80% of qualified project costs, including acquisition, installation, network connection, proper operation and maintenance of EV chargers, and long-term EV charger data sharing.
Politico reported that as of Thursday, FHWA had deleted several website pages that provide information about the Nevi program.
In a statement to Politico, Andrew Rogers, a former FHWA administrator under the Biden administration, said the memo “appears to ignore both laws issued by federal courts and multiple restraint orders.” I stated.
The outlet further reports that Roger states that the memo appears to be a “direct violation” of the 1974 Water Storage Management Act.
Currently, 14 states have at least one operational EV station, according to EV States Clearinghouse. Nevi reports that as of last November, 31 Nevi stations in nine states had 126 public charging ports operating, an 83% increase in open nevi ports since the last quarter.
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A total of 41 states have released at least the first round of solicitations, with 35 having issued conditional awards and signed contracts for more than 3,560 fast charging ports at over 890 charging station locations.
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