Trump administration will stop illegal freezes of $5 billion EV charger funds after losing in court

The Trump administration has finally issued new guidance that states can use to eliminate funding for electric vehicle charging infrastructure after spending months withholding funds.

The National Union has called for a funding freeze in the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program, one of the administration’s many attempts to halt funds allocated by Congress at the start of Donald Trump’s second term. The judge issued an injunction in June against the administration’s freeze on spending, stating that these states were likely to succeed.

The Department of Transport (DOT), led by former MTV personality Shawn Duffy, has criticized the state for taking too long to spend money. As of May, about 84% of the $5 billion dollar (allowed as part of the bipartisan infrastructure law) were still waiting to be obligated, with only a few dozen chargers being built.

Duffy and The Dot alleged that funds were stopped while the “review process” was running to match the NEVI programmes with administration priorities. The new press release issued Monday reveals what comes with it.

Naturally, the new guidance focuses on simplifying the review process for charging stations. This means that states will no longer have to consider consumer protection, emergency evacuation plans, environmental standards, and other steps previously required before construction begins. DOT also removed the requirement that a certain percentage of charging stations be built in rural, unpaid or underprivileged communities.

The DOT further removed the language from guidance requiring that funding proposals “show how implementations promote strong labor, safety training and installation standards.” And this point attacked languages that demand applicants to provide opportunities for minorities and women-owned small businesses to engage.

We are constantly aiming to evolve and you can help us by providing insights into TechCrunch and your perspective and feedback on our coverage and events! Fill in this research to let us know how we are doing and get the opportunity to win an award in return!