Latest news with #NEVI
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Tennessee program makes progress on EV chargers while frozen federal projects languish
Tennessee has closed a loop of electric vehicle chargers in the state even as a federally-funded program to round out Tennessee's charging network remains halted. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout) Tennessee closed a loop of electric vehicle chargers connecting Nashville, Knoxville, Cookeville and Chattanooga in May, marking a significant milestone in the state's push to support EV adoption. Meanwhile, a federally funded program intended to round out Tennessee's EV charging network — particularly on the state's major interstates and U.S. 64 — has been halted since February at the instruction of President Donald Trump's administration. Tennessee's Fast Charge TN program aims to position an EV charger every 50 miles along Tennessee interstates and highways. In the roughly 400-mile loop closed in May with the installation of chargers in the small town of Athens, EV drivers can now access chargers every 34 miles. The state's $24 million program is funded separately through funds from the Volkswagen Diesel Settlement Environmental Mitigation Trust, electricity revenues from TVA and cost share from grant recipients. Some U.S. Republicans are pushing to keep energy tax credits. Tennessee lawmakers aren't among them. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation's Office of Energy Programs released a Notice of Intent for the Fast Charge program's second round in February and expects to solicit projects for 13 gap areas throughout the state 'in the coming months.' Fast Charge TN's federally backed counterpart remains at a standstill. The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program (NEVI) allocated up to $5 billion to support EV charger installation along 'Alternative Fuel Corridors' across the nation. Tennessee was set to receive $88 million over a 5-year period to complete a plan created by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT). Upon taking office, Trump issued an executive order to pause the disbursement of federal grant money for programs supporting electric vehicles and clean energy initiatives under the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The U.S. Federal Highway Administration officially suspended NEVI funding in February, despite having already approved states' program plans. TDOT awarded $21 million in NEVI funds to 10 applicants in January 2024 to install 30 new charging locations, but none of those contracts have been executed as the pause remains in effect, according to TDOT Community Relations Director Beth Emmons. Sixteen states, Washington D.C. and multiple environmental and clean energy groups sued the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration in a Washington federal court in May, arguing the federal agencies had no authority to freeze funds already appropriated by Congress. The Executive Branch, the suit contends, cannot 'override or suspend this process based on changing policy priorities.' EVs in Tennessee: Uncertainty abounds as Trump targets Biden-era electric vehicle funding Tennessee is not one of the plaintiffs. Gov. Bill Lee and Tennessee's Congressional representatives have largely been mum on the tension between the state's work to grow the EV industry and the Trump administration's efforts to retract federal support. Tennessee has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into incentives and grants to entice EV-related businesses to locate their manufacturing plants in the state. Lee and the state's economic development department have celebrated the hundreds of jobs promised by EV enterprises since 2017, many in rural areas. All but one of Tennessee's representatives in the U.S. House voted in favor of an amended version of Trump's budget reconciliation bill — which would eliminate electric vehicle tax credits for consumers and create new annual taxes for EV and hybrid owners — in May. Lee also celebrated the bill's passage in the House, and did not respond to a request for comment regarding the potential impact to Tennessee's EV industry. The bill must pass in the U.S. Senate to become law. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
States and advocates sue Trump to unfreeze billions in EV charging funds
This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy, and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here. Sixteen states, the District of Columbia, and more than a half dozen environmental groups have alleged in a lawsuit that the Trump administration has indefinitely and unlawfully frozen funds for a nationwide electric vehicle program. The complaint was filed on Thursday last week in U.S. District Court in Seattle. Plaintiffs' attorneys are asking the judge to require the Trump administration to unfreeze the funds and distribute them to the states according to a formula established by Congress. During the Biden administration, Congress appropriated $5 billion for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program, also known as NEVI, as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. The money would have been disbursed each year to all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, to build a nationwide network of electric vehicle charging stations along designated Alternative Fuel Corridors. 'Transportation is the leading source of climate pollution in the U.S., and halting the NEVI program directly threatens our progress toward clean, reliable transportation options — especially in the Southeast, where EV infrastructure is still catching up,' said Megan Kimball, senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center. 'In rural and urban areas alike, more charging access means cleaner air, economic growth, and real savings for families. We're defending that future.' The legal challenge coincided with a Government Accountability Office report published Thursday that found the U.S. Department of Transportation is unauthorized to withhold the congressionally appropriated funds. The Transportation Department could petition Congress to pass a law to rescind the funds or change the NEVI program, the GAO wrote, but it can't act unilaterally. A department spokesperson said in a prepared statement that the GAO report 'shows a complete misunderstanding of the law' and 'conflicts with Congress' intent.' Less than three weeks after Trump was elected to a second term, the Transportation Department ordered states to stop distributing their funds for fiscal years 2022-2025, worth about $2.7 billion. States could reimburse contractors for money already spent, but no new funding could be obligated. DOT justified the funding freeze by saying the Federal Highway Administration was 'updating the NEVI Formula Program Guidance to align with current policy and priorities.' The GAO report concluded that the Transportation Department erroneously froze funding when it determined that funding was available only for signed project agreements. Instead, the GAO wrote, the effective date for funding was much earlier: when the law made money for the program available for obligation. Some agencies delay their funding distribution while trying to comply with legal requirements for a program, the GAO wrote. In the NEVI case, however, DOT imposed requirements that exceed what the law prescribes. For example, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act requires states to submit plans to DOT, but does not provide authority for the secretary of transportation to approve or disapprove such plans. A DOT spokesperson said the GAO was 'cherry-picking language in the program statute.' The agency is updating NEVI program guidance, according to the spokesperson, 'because the implementation of NEVI has failed miserably, and DOT will continue to work in good faith to update the program so it can be utilized more efficiently and effectively.' Attorneys for the environmental groups — including CleanAIRE NC, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, West End Revitalization Project, Sierra Club, and the Natural Resources Defense Council — wrote that in blocking the distribution of funds, the Trump administration directly defied congressional directives. The funding freeze nullified more than 150 state implementation plans, according to court documents, which harmed local communities. NEVI requires EV charging stations in the first phase to be installed every 50 miles along the federally approved Alternative Fuel Corridors, and that they be within one mile of those routes. 'By reducing access to reliable public charging,' the plaintiffs' attorneys wrote, 'DOT and the FHWA are restricting electric vehicle owners' ability to travel and use their EVs, increase their fuel costs, delay EV purchases, worsen health impacts from vehicle pollution, and deprive communities of promised public investment.' In the Charlotte, North Carolina, metro area, for example, air quality — such as levels of ozone and particulate matter — has worsened, according to the 2025 American Lung Association State of the Air Report. The largest city in North Carolina, Charlotte is ringed and bisected by several highways clogged with cars. 'Tailpipe pollution is a public health crisis — fueling asthma, heart disease, and respiratory illness in communities already overburdened by environmental harm,' Jeff Robbins, executive director of CleanAIRE NC, said in a prepared statement. 'NEVI is a vital step toward reducing that harm through zero-emission transportation. Freezing the program blocks progress and keeps our most vulnerable residents breathing dirty air. Clean air and climate justice cannot be put on hold.' Interstate 85 and U.S. Highway 70 run through many underserved communities in Alamance County, North Carolina, about 30 miles west of Durham. 'For decades, communities like ours in Alamance County have been denied access to basic infrastructure,' said Omega Wilson, codirector of the West End Revitalization Association. 'The NEVI program offers a real chance to change that — with public investment in EV charging that finally includes rural Black and brown neighborhoods. Suspending the program delays critical investments, widens infrastructure disparities, and sends the message that once again, the taxpayers who've been left behind the longest will be the last to benefit.'
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Watchdog says Trump administration illegally halted EV charger funding
The Trump administration is breaking the law by withholding funds appropriated by Congress for a national electric vehicle (EV) charging network, a government watchdog says. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocated $5 billion for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program, which set out to help build a national network of EV chargers. In February, the Department of Transportation (DOT) said it would rescind all guidance related to the program and that 'no new obligations may occur' under the existing program until it issues updated guidance. A lawsuit over the matter from several states alleges that the department is withholding a total of $2.74 billion in funding. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) a nonpartisan congressional watchdog, this week agreed, saying the Trump administration's move violates the Impoundment Control Act. 'DOT is not authorized … to withhold these funds from expenditure and must continue to carry out the statutory requirements of the program,' the watchdog said. 'If DOT wishes to make changes to the obligation and expenditure of funds appropriated under the NEVI Formula Program, it must propose funds for rescission or otherwise propose legislation to make changes to the law for consideration by Congress,' the GAO continued. A spokesperson for the Transportation Department said in an email that the watchdog's report 'shows a complete misunderstanding of the law.' 'Their conclusion conflicts with Congress' intent, and completely misunderstands the Federal-aid highway program and how Congress structured the NEVI program,' the department said. 'In cherry-picking language in the program statute, GAO's assessment is also at odds with its own reports on how Federal-aid Highway programs similar to NEVI receive and use appropriated funds.' The spokesperson added that the department was reviewing and updating the program guidance 'because the implementation of NEVI has failed miserably, and DOT will continue to work in good faith to update the program so it can be utilized more efficiently and effectively.' While the finding only applies to the EV program, that is just one of many undergoing a funding freeze or cancellation instituted by the Trump administration. Senate Democrats estimate that the administration is blocking a total of $430 billion. 'This legal decision affirms what we've long known: the President is breaking the law to block funding Congress passed on a bipartisan basis and that is owed to the American people — simply because he disagrees with it. This plain fact is unacceptable — and it cannot stand any longer,' Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said in a statement. 'These bipartisan investments need to start flowing immediately — as do the hundreds of billions of dollars in other investments President Trump is holding up. I don't care about Russ Vought's personal interpretation of our spending laws; the Constitution is clear, and President Trump simply does not have the power of the purse — Congress does,' Murray added, referring to the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
23-05-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Watchdog says Trump administration illegally halted EV charger funding
The Trump administration is breaking the law by withholding funds appropriated by Congress for a national electric vehicle (EV) charging network, a government watchdog says. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocated $5 billion for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program, which set out to help build a national network of EV chargers. In February, the Department of Transportation (DOT) said that it would rescind all guidance related to the program and that 'no new obligations may occur' under the existing program until it issues updated guidance. A lawsuit over the matter from several states alleges that the department is withholding a total of $2.74 billion in funding. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) a nonpartisan congressional watchdog, this week agreed, saying that the Trump administration's move violates the Impoundment Control Act. 'DOT is not authorized …to withhold these funds from expenditure and must continue to carry out the statutory requirements of the program,' the watchdog said. 'If DOT wishes to make changes to the obligation and expenditure of funds appropriated under the NEVI Formula Program, it must propose funds for rescission or otherwise propose legislation to make changes to the law for consideration by Congress,' GAO continued. A spokesperson for the Transportation Department said in an email that the watchdog's report 'shows a complete misunderstanding of the law.' 'Their conclusion conflicts with Congress' intent, and completely misunderstands the Federal-aid highway program and how Congress structured the NEVI program,' the department said. 'In cherry-picking language in the program statute, GAO's assessment is also at odds with its own reports on how Federal-aid Highway programs similar to NEVI receive and use appropriated funds.' The spokesperson added that the department was reviewing and updating the program guidance 'because the implementation of NEVI has failed miserably, and DOT will continue to work in good faith to update the program so it can be utilized more efficiently and effectively.' While the finding only applies to the EV program, that is just one of many undergoing a funding freeze or cancellation instituted by the Trump administration. Senate Democrats estimate that the administration is blocking a total of $430 billion. 'This legal decision affirms what we've long known: the President is breaking the law to block funding Congress passed on a bipartisan basis and that is owed to the American people — simply because he disagrees with it. This plain fact is unacceptable — and it cannot stand any longer,' said Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) in a written statement. 'These bipartisan investments need to start flowing immediately — as do the hundreds of billions of dollars in other investments President Trump is holding up. I don't care about Russ Vought's personal interpretation of our spending laws; the Constitution is clear, and President Trump simply does not have the power of the purse — Congress does,' Murray added, referring to the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget.
Fast Company
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- Fast Company
At least 50 Waffle House locations in the South are getting EV chargers
With 24/7 service, thousands of locations, and affordable food, Waffle House is a go-to road-trip stop. And soon the chain will offer yet another draw to drivers looking for somewhere to take a break: Waffle House diners across the South will be getting EV chargers as soon as 2026. Waffle House is partnering with BP Pulse, the EV charging network operated by energy company BP, to bring DC fast chargers to diners across the South and Southeast, including in Texas, Georgia, and Florida. There are more than 2,000 Waffle House locations across the country; BP Pulse didn't say how many will ultimately get EV chargers through this effort, but that 'an initial tranche of 50 sites' is already in progress. Each site will have six EV charging bays, featuring 400 kilowatt DC fast chargers. Different fast chargers boast different speeds; BP Pulse says its 400 kW chargers can get a vehicle to 80% in as little as 15 to 30 minutes, though it depends on factors like the vehicle's battery size. Those chargers will be equipped with both CCS and NACS connectors. The first of those stations are expected to go live in 2026, per BP Pulse. This isn't Waffle House's first foray into the world of EV charging. In February 2024, the chain announced that a location in Tennessee would get EV chargers through EnviroSpark. That initiative was aided by National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) funding from the state's Department of Transportation. NEVI was part of the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and set aside $5 billion for states to expand the national EV charging network. The Trump administration, however, has thrown the NEVI program into chaos. This February, the administration told state transportation directors that they couldn't spend that funding, pausing the initiative and halting EV charger projects across the country. The NEVI pause shouldn't hurt this latest Waffle House deal though; BP Pulse says it isn't contingent on any incentives. BP Pulse already has a network of more than 8,000 EV charging locations across 46 states, and also operates internationally. California has long dominated in terms of EV adoption, but southern states are becoming big EV players. The second largest state for EVs, based on the number of registrations, is Florida, followed by Texas. Waffle House also makes sense as a hub for EV chargers: The diners are open 24/7 (even, notoriously, through some major storms), and are conveniently located along major corridors and off highway exits, making them an easy place to stop and top off your EV battery. 'Charging up while fueling up on an All-Star Special will be convenient and fast—a perfect option for enjoying the Waffle House experience while charging your EV on the go,' David Repp, director of Innovation at Waffle House, said in a statement.
