Latest news with #JudgeTanaLin
The Drive
25-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Drive
Judge Says Feds Can't Withhold Money From State EV Charger Programs
CORTE MADERA, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 15: In an aerial view, Tesla cars recharge at a Tesla charger station on February 15, 2023 in Corte Madera, California. Electric car company Tesla is partnering with the U.S. federal government to expand electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the United States. Tesla announced plans to open an estimated 7,500 of its Tesla Superchargers in the country to all brands of electric vehicles by the end of latest car news, reviews, and features. When the Trump administration vowed earlier this year to claw back funds that had previously been awarded for the construction of new electric vehicle charging infrastructure, a California representative slammed the move as 'unconstitutional.' On Tuesday, a U.S. district judge in Washington State stopped short of agreeing, but found merit in the plaintiffs' argument in a suit filed by California, 15 other states and the District of Columbia, that the administration acted illegally. Judge Tana Lin said it was likely that the states will ultimately win, giving the admin a week to re-open its coffers—or, more likely, to appeal the ruling, which may be destined for the Supreme Court, Reuters reports. The sixteen states who sued the administration claimed that the administration's move to cut funding would result in immediate financial harm, citing the money already spent on their contributions to the infrastructure projects for which they'd received federal funding approval. Judge Tin carved out exceptions for two of them (Minnesota and Vermont) in her ruling, along with the District of Columbia, as they failed to demonstrate how they'd been monetarily impacted by the administration's actions. President Trump began targeting Biden-era EV mandates almost immediately after taking office again. His administration is attempting to roll back the expansion of charging infrastructure, federal incentives for private EV purchases, and the federal government's expansion of its own electrified fleet. Judge Tin's ruling is the latest in a series of setbacks for the administration, which is facing both legal and legislative hurdles to its initiatives. During his first term, Trump's administration pushed hard to not only roll back federal emissions standards, but to weaken the power of individual states to set their own limits on internal-combustion engines. The administration's campaign against California and its coalition of blue-leaning 'CARB states' seemed decisive at first, but all of its early victories were ultimately for naught, as the Supreme Court ultimately sided with the states over the federal government. It's a battle Trump has pledged to take up again in his second term, but it's unclear what avenue the admin will be able to pursue that wasn't explored previously; anything setting a permanent framework would likely have to be approved by Congress, where the Republican majority is slim. Got a tip? Send it our way at tips@ .article-sidebar]:pt-0>
CTV News
25-06-2025
- Automotive
- CTV News
Federal judge orders Trump administration to release EV charger funding in 14 states
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal judge Tuesday ordered the Trump administration to release billions of dollars in funding for the build out of electric vehicle chargers in more than a dozen states. U.S. District Judge Tana Lin in Washington state partially granted a preliminary injunction that sought to free up the money approved under then-President Joe Biden that the Trump administration withheld earlier this year. Sixteen states and the District of Columbia sued over the move, arguing that the administration did not have the authority to block the congressionally approved funds. The program was set to allocate US$5 billion over five years to various states, of which an estimated $3.3 billion had already been made available. Lin ordered that funding be released in 14 of the states, including in Arizona, California and New York. But she denied granting the preliminary injunction for D.C., Minnesota and Vermont, saying that they did not provide enough evidence that they would face 'irreparable harm' if the money wasn't immediately freed up. Lin said the Trump administration overstepped its constitutional authority when it froze the funding previously approved by Congress in 2021 as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. 'When the Executive Branch treads upon the will of the Legislative Branch, and when an administrative agency acts contrary to law, it is the Court's responsibility to remediate the situation and restore the balance of power,' she wrote. The order will go into effect July 2 unless the Trump administration appeals. The Federal Highway Administration did not immediately respond to an email request for comment on the decision. The Trump administration in February directed states to stop spending money for electric vehicle charging under the program. The move was part of a broader push by the Republican president to roll back environmental policies advanced by his Democratic predecessor. States suing the Trump administration said the decision to freeze funding halted projects midstream, requiring immediate court intervention. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, said after the ruling that the Trump administration could not 'dismiss programs illegally.' 'We are pleased with today's order blocking the Administration's unconstitutional attempt to do so, and California looks forward to continuing to vigorously defend itself from this executive branch overreach,' he said in a statement. The Trump administration argued that it was working on new guidance for the program and was only pausing future funding in the meantime. The program was meant to assuage concerns about electric vehicles and build infrastructure along highway corridors first, then address gaps elsewhere once the state highway obligations were met. Some states with projects running under the program have already been reimbursed by the Biden-era federal funds. Others are still contracting for their sites. Still more had halted their plans by the time the Trump administration ordered states to stop their spending. Regardless, getting the chargers installed and operating has been a slow process with contracting challenges, permitting delays and complex electrical upgrades. It was expected that states would fight against the federal government's efforts to slow the nation's electric vehicle charger build out. New York, for example, which is part of the lawsuit, has been awarded over $175 million in federal funds from the program, and state officials say $120 million is currently being withheld by the Trump administration. Sudhin Thanawala And Sophie Austin, The Associated Press
Al Arabiya
25-06-2025
- Automotive
- Al Arabiya
Federal judge orders Trump administration to release EV charger funding in 14 states
A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to release billions of dollars in funding for the buildout of electric vehicle chargers in more than a dozen states. US District Judge Tana Lin in Washington state partially granted a preliminary injunction that sought to free up the money approved under then-President Joe Biden that the Trump administration withheld earlier this year. Sixteen states and the District of Columbia sued over the move, arguing that the administration did not have the authority to block the congressionally approved funds. The program was set to allocate $5 billion over five years to various states, of which an estimated $3.3 billion had already been made available. Lin ordered that funding be released in 14 of the states, including Arizona, California, and New York. But she denied granting the preliminary injunction for D.C., Minnesota, and Vermont, saying that they did not provide enough evidence that they would face irreparable harm if the money wasn't immediately freed up. Lin said the Trump administration overstepped its constitutional authority when it froze the funding previously approved by Congress in 2021 as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. 'When the Executive Branch treads upon the will of the Legislative Branch and when an administrative agency acts contrary to law, it is the Court's responsibility to remediate the situation and restore the balance of power,' she wrote. The order will go into effect July 2 unless the Trump administration appeals. The Federal Highway Administration did not immediately respond to an email request for comment on the decision. The Trump administration in February directed states to stop spending money for electric vehicle charging under the program. The move was part of a broader push by the Republican president to roll back environmental policies advanced by his Democratic predecessor. States suing the Trump administration said the decision to freeze funding halted projects midstream, requiring immediate court intervention. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, said after the ruling that the Trump administration could not dismiss programs illegally. 'We are pleased with today's order blocking the Administration's unconstitutional attempt to do so, and California looks forward to continuing to vigorously defend itself from this executive branch overreach,' he said in a statement. The Trump administration argued that it was working on new guidance for the program and was only pausing future funding in the meantime. The program was meant to assuage concerns about electric vehicles and build infrastructure along highway corridors first, then address gaps elsewhere once the state highway obligations were met. Some states with projects running under the program have already been reimbursed by the Biden-era federal funds. Others are still contracting for their sites. Still more had halted their plans by the time the Trump administration ordered states to stop their spending. Regardless, getting the chargers installed and operating has been a slow process, with contracting challenges, permitting delays, and complex electrical upgrades. It was expected that states would fight against the federal government's efforts to slow the nation's electric vehicle charger buildout. New York, for example, which is part of the lawsuit, has been awarded over $175 million in federal funds from the program, and state officials say $120 million is currently being withheld by the Trump administration.
The Independent
25-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Independent
Federal judge orders Trump administration to release EV charger funding in 14 states
A federal judge Tuesday ordered the Trump administration to release billions of dollars in funding for the build out of electric vehicle chargers in more than a dozen states. U.S. District Judge Tana Lin in Washington state partially granted a preliminary injunction that sought to free up the money approved under then-President Joe Biden that the Trump administration withheld earlier this year. Sixteen states and the District of Columbia sued over the move, arguing that the administration did not have the authority to block the congressionally approved funds. The program was set to allocate $5 billion over five years to various states, of which an estimated $3.3 billion had already been made available. Lin ordered that funding be released in 14 of the states, including in Arizona, California and New York. But she denied granting the preliminary injunction for D.C., Minnesota and Vermont, saying that they did not provide enough evidence that they would face 'irreparable harm' if the money wasn't immediately freed up. Lin said the Trump administration overstepped its constitutional authority when it froze the funding previously approved by Congress in 2021 as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. 'When the Executive Branch treads upon the will of the Legislative Branch, and when an administrative agency acts contrary to law, it is the Court's responsibility to remediate the situation and restore the balance of power,' she wrote. The order will go into effect July 2 unless the Trump administration appeals. The Federal Highway Administration did not immediately respond to an email request for comment on the decision. The Trump administration in February directed states to stop spending money for electric vehicle charging under the program. The move was part of a broader push by the Republican president to roll back environmental policies advanced by his Democratic predecessor. States suing the Trump administration said the decision to freeze funding halted projects midstream, requiring immediate court intervention. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, said after the ruling that the Trump administration could not 'dismiss programs illegally.' 'We are pleased with today's order blocking the Administration's unconstitutional attempt to do so, and California looks forward to continuing to vigorously defend itself from this executive branch overreach,' he said in a statement. The Trump administration argued that it was working on new guidance for the program and was only pausing future funding in the meantime. The program was meant to assuage concerns about electric vehicles and build infrastructure along highway corridors first, then address gaps elsewhere once the state highway obligations were met. Some states with projects running under the program have already been reimbursed by the Biden-era federal funds. Others are still contracting for their sites. Still more had halted their plans by the time the Trump administration ordered states to stop their spending. Regardless, getting the chargers installed and operating has been a slow process with contracting challenges, permitting delays and complex electrical upgrades. It was expected that states would fight against the federal government's efforts to slow the nation's electric vehicle charger build out. New York, for example, which is part of the lawsuit, has been awarded over $175 million in federal funds from the program, and state officials say $120 million is currently being withheld by the Trump administration.
Washington Post
25-06-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Federal judge orders Trump administration to release EV charger funding in 14 states
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal judge Tuesday ordered the Trump administration to release billions of dollars in funding for the build out of electric vehicle chargers in more than a dozen states. U.S. District Judge Tana Lin in Washington state partially granted a preliminary injunction that sought to free up the money approved under then-President Joe Biden that the Trump administration withheld earlier this year. Sixteen states and the District of Columbia sued over the move, arguing that the administration did not have the authority to block the congressionally approved funds. The program was set to allocate $5 billion over five years to various states, of which an estimated $3.3 billion had already been made available.
