Late yesterday, the Federal Highway Administration halted new funding for state programs to install tens of thousands of new vehicle chargers along highways and at rest stops across the nation.
A key part of the 2022 bipartisan infrastructure law, all 50 states have federally approved plans to build these fast chargers, which will allow more drivers to access fast, convenient charging when they are on long trips.
The highway department said existing state plans would be scrapped, and that it would take months to review and restart the process. Consequently, the deployment of the federally funded electric vehicle charging network will be paused indefinitely.
The following is a comment from Beth Hammon, a senior vehicle charging advocate at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council):
"On a bipartisan basis, Congress funded this program to build a new vehicle charging network nationwide. The Trump administration does not have the authority to halt it capriciously.
“Stopping funding midstream will result in chaos and delays in states across the nation. It will throw state efforts into turmoil, wreak havoc with the companies that install the chargers and risk the jobs of their workers. The only winner from this chaos is the oil industry.
“This should not stand. Courts have already blocked the Trump administration’s other illegal attempts to halt legally mandated funding.
“Congress needs to stand up for itself: This move and many others from the Trump administration steals away its Constitutionally established spending authority."
This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.
Newswire Editor | Radio Free (2025-02-07T20:51:45+00:00) New Federal Vehicle Charging Funds Halted. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2025/02/07/new-federal-vehicle-charging-funds-halted/
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