A federal court judge has halted the Trump administration from holding back money earlier allocated to 14 states intended for electric vehicle charging station development.
The Seattle-based judge Tana Lin, appointed to the judiciary by President Joe Biden in 2021, issued a partial injunction favoring the states that had sued Trump’s Department of Transportation.
She determined that the lawsuit brought forth by the states—led by the Attorneys General from California, Colorado, and Washington—would probably be successful. However, her decision didn’t extend to the District of Columbia, Minnesota, and Vermont since these entities failed to demonstrate imminent damage. Unless the Trump administration lodges an appeal to halt it, the injunction will come into play on July 1st.
In February, the Trump administration ordered states not to spend $5bn in funds allocated under the Biden administration as part of the nationwide electric vehicle infrastructure (Nevi) program.
The initiative offers as much as 80% funding for eligible project expenses related to deploying electric vehicle chargers. As of now, at least one functional EV charging station exists across 16 different states. according to EV States Clearinghouse.
"The newly appointed leaders at the Department of Transportation have opted to reassess the guidelines supporting the execution of the Nevi formula program," wrote Emily Biondi, who serves as the associate administrator for planning, environment, and Realty at the Federal Highway Administration within the transportation department, in an internal memorandum.
As a consequence of canceling the Nevi formula program guidance, the FHWA will immediately halt the approval of all state electric vehicle projects. infrastructure "Deployment plans for every fiscal year must be followed. Consequently, starting right away, no new commitments can be made under the Nevi formula program until the revised final Nevi formula guidelines are released and fresh state plans have been submitted and authorized," she noted.
In May, the Government Accountability Office determined that the Trump administration broke the law by withholding the funds. It stated that the administration "is required to keep following the legal obligations set forth for this program."
The White House disputed these conclusions, labeling them as "incorrect and legally unsupportable," and instructed the Department of Transportation to disregard them. This month, the department is anticipated to publish a preliminary version of their revised electric vehicle guidelines.
Earlier this month, during a hearing with the Seattle judge, Leah Brown from Washington’s attorney general’s office stated, "The brief mention of updated guidelines and altered priorities does not suffice to counteract the intention of Congress." She further noted that the states are not contesting their authority to modify guidelines; however, they maintain that such modifications do not adequately justify the steps these entities have taken," as reported by the Washington State Standard. reported .
The agency does not plan to hold back funding for the states," stated Justice Department attorney Heidy Gonzalez. "It simply wishes to have the chance to revisit previous guidelines and establish new ones that align with the present administration’s policies and objectives.
Throughout his presidential campaign, Donald Trump expressed disdain for electric cars, which was at odds with his developing camaraderie with Tesla’s leader, Elon Musk.
During the campaign, Trump stated that those who support these vehicles should “rot in hell” and that Biden’s backing of electric vehicles would usher in “bloodbath” into the American auto sector.
Even though he later named Musk as the chief of the "government efficiency" department, Musk and Trump have since gone their separate ways.