The Trump Administration makes $ 3 billion marked for electric vehicle charging stations – Boise State Public Radio

The Trump Administration has stopped the Federal Pure Energy Program to expand the network of electric vehicle charging stations, The placement of billions of dollars on Limbo, allocated to countries with current and future projects for the foreseeable future.

In a note on Thursday, the Federal Administration of Highways (FHWA) informs the directors of state transport that the National Infrastructure Program of electric vehicles (NEVI) will be considered. The agency said existing contracts would be revered – suggesting that some current projects would still receive funding – but “no new obligations can arise under the NEVI Formula Program” that are in force immediately.

This keeps about $ 3 billion, saying they are expected to receive for future construction projects, according to the researcher Atlas Public Policy.

FHWA said the Nevi program would be updated to “be aligned with this policy and priorities in the US”, citing the Ministry of Transport. A draft amended program policies will be published for public commentary in the spring before being issued a final version.

“But this does not mean that the program will be sunset or the funds will not be re -provided to the United States,” said Nick Nigro, founder of Atlas public policy.

The program was created by the Congress in the Bilateral Infrastructure Act of the Biden Act, the Investment and Infrastructure Investment Act in 2021. Several experts tell NPR that as a result of its prevailing bilateral support at that time it tried to cancel it in The framework of the executive branch is likely to be challenged in court. Nigro believes that funding will eventually resume.

The program was part of the ambitious plan of Biden’s administration to improve access to charging stations, which is a major reason for many drivers to hesitate to switch to EVS, according to JD Power data.

The goal was to build a network of highways with EV stations to load every 50 miles and to accelerate the country’s transition away from gas and diesel vehicles, which are the main contributions to climate change.

The Nevi program, which started in 2021, was far from perfect, according to Ryan McKinnon, spokesman for Partnership Charge forward, a coalition dedicated to the creation of a national EV loading network.

McKinnon said the program faced challenges such as unfair competition from electric utilities and poorly designed grants, which led to broken or unattended EV charges in some areas. But it also stimulates investment in charging fees, especially in fast chargers at popular gas stations and truck stops.

“Although it is clear that Nevi has not resolved the challenges of the industry, the program was a step in the right direction,” McKinnon says in a statement.

So far, 56 stations have been implemented as a result of the program, while so far over 900 sites have been “awarded”, according to Loren McDonald, a chief analyst at Paren, another company analysis company.

McDonald said several hundred of the awarded sites are currently under construction and are expected to open this year. He does not believe that FHWA has the power to pause or cancel some aspect of the Nevi program.

“The Trump administration is obviously trying to stop or pause programs like Nevi as long as they can, but I suppose court cases from countries will start soon and this will go to court and congress,” McDonald says in a statement.

The FHWA order did not come as a complete surprise. During his campaign, President Trump has repeatedly promised to reduce EV requirements and incentives – often describing Biden’s clean energy policies as a “mandate”, although such a federal policy does not require all vehicles to be electric.

For the Trump administration, the focus is to strengthen the internal production of fossil fuels. On the day of taking office, Trump announced a “national energy emergency situation” calling on the National Emergency Act to increase the oil drill in the country.

“We will break through, honey, training,” Trump said during his speech last month. “We will be a rich nation again, and it is the liquid gold under our feet that will help us do it.”

Among the recipients of the Nevi program is Tesla, which is led by Elon Musk, who is also a key counselor of Trump. Tesla has received about $ 31 million awards, according to a database that tracks the program using data from the Joint Energy and Transport Office.

Camilla Domonoske from NPR contributed to the reporting.

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