The Department of Transport (DOT) has suspended funds for a $5 billion EV charging infrastructure program in which Tesla received at least $31 million. This movement is widely seen as illegal.
This is the latest attempt from the Trump administration, seeking to hack federally funded renewable energy projects around the country.
It also proof that Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s politics is increasingly at odds with the automotive company’s goal of moving towards sustainable energy. By mid-last year, Tesla had won around 6% of all awards from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program in question, winning millions of dollars in the process.
One of the first executive orders signed in January aimed at claiming infrastructure programs, including Nevi.
Now, a letter sent Thursday to directors of the state’s DOT office said that “new leadership for the Department of Transport” would like a programme to “see the policies underlying NEVI implementation.”
The Federal Highways Agency, the DOT agency that wrote the letter, updated Nevi’s guidance and said it would be published for public comments on “The Spring.” The DOT division says new funds will not be available until new guidance is confirmed. InsideEvs first reported the letter.
Nevi was part of the bipartisan infrastructure law that was signed into law in 2021. Congress allocated $1 billion annually to the program from 2022 to 2026.
Beth Hamon, a senior vehicle charging advocate at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said in a statement that the Trump administration “does not have the authority to stop it on a whim.” ”
“Stop midstream funding will create chaos and delays in states across the country, which will cast state efforts into chaos, create chaos with businesses that install chargers and put workers at risk ” she said. “The only winner from this disruption is the oil industry.”
Clean transportation for all Sierra Club directors, Katherine Garcia, said the lawsuit was illegal and was an “attack on bipartisan funds approved by Congress many years ago.”
The Trump administration is trying to stop the flow of funds allocated by Congress across the government. This is a major violation of the constitutional order by legal experts.
His management’s office has announced a government-wide spending freeze, which has already been met with many legal challenges. He then canceled the memo, but it has been reported that some payment freezes continue. Meanwhile, Musk is looting around multiple government agencies with teams of engineers and high-tech executives, working on payments and computer access to other sensitive systems.
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