States, Enviros Sue Trump Over Billions in Funding Freezes for EV Charging [1]
"Congress appropriated funds in the 2021 infrastructure bill for a national network of electric vehicle charging stations. The administration, which opposes EVs in favor of gasoline-power vehicles, has frozen the money."
"Sixteen states, the District of Columbia and more than a half dozen environmental groups have alleged in a lawsuit that the Trump administration has indefinitely and unlawfully frozen funds for a nationwide electric vehicle program.
The complaint was filed on Thursday in U.S. District Court in Seattle. Plaintiffs’ attorneys are asking the judge to require the Trump administration to unfreeze the funds and distribute them to the states according to a formula established by Congress.
During the Biden administration, Congress appropriated $5 billion for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program, also known as NEVI, as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. The money would have been disbursed each year to all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, to build a nationwide network of electric vehicle charging stations along designated Alternative Fuel Corridors.
“Transportation is the leading source of climate pollution in the U.S., and halting the NEVI program directly threatens our progress toward clean, reliable transportation options—especially in the Southeast, where EV infrastructure is still catching up,” said Megan Kimball, senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center. “In rural and urban areas alike, more charging access means cleaner air, economic growth and real savings for families. We’re defending that future.”"