16 states and DC sue Trump administration for freezing EV charger funds
Among the 26 executive orders that President Trump signed on Inauguration Day, one sought to kill a star policy achievement of the Biden administration: the
National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure plan (NEVI).
Part of former President Biden’s $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the NEVI program allocated $5 billion to the Federal Highway Administration to distribute as formula grants to the states to line the nation’s highways with EV fast chargers every 50 miles or so.
Now 16 states and the District of Columbia are suing to challenge the shuttering of the program, which was enacted by Congress.
The complaint reads:
“The FHWA’s actions had the effect of withholding or withdrawing from States NEVI Formula Program funds available to the States for obligation, functionally abrogating the congressionally mandated NEVI Formula Program by executive fiat.”
Hundreds of millions of dollars of the funding have been distributed, and projects are well underway in every state. The lawsuit argues that this money was allocated by Congress, and mandated by law: “Distribution of NEVI Formula Program funds is not discretionary.”
Shares of EV makers Tesla, Rivian, and Lucid all rose on the news.
Part of former President Biden’s $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the NEVI program allocated $5 billion to the Federal Highway Administration to distribute as formula grants to the states to line the nation’s highways with EV fast chargers every 50 miles or so.
Now 16 states and the District of Columbia are suing to challenge the shuttering of the program, which was enacted by Congress.
The complaint reads:
“The FHWA’s actions had the effect of withholding or withdrawing from States NEVI Formula Program funds available to the States for obligation, functionally abrogating the congressionally mandated NEVI Formula Program by executive fiat.”
Hundreds of millions of dollars of the funding have been distributed, and projects are well underway in every state. The lawsuit argues that this money was allocated by Congress, and mandated by law: “Distribution of NEVI Formula Program funds is not discretionary.”
Shares of EV makers Tesla, Rivian, and Lucid all rose on the news.