Sixteen states and the District of Columbia are suing the federal government in response to President Trump’s decision to suspend two grant programs for electric vehicle charging infrastructure. California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the President’s Department of Transportation has refused to approve any new funding under two EV charging infrastructure programs created by Congress. They were part of the $1 trillion infrastructure law signed by former-President Biden in 2022.
This latest lawsuit is being led by the attorneys general of California and Colorado, but it has been joined by AGs from Arizona, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia, as well as the governor of Pennsylvania.
Back in June, a U.S. judge actually blocked Trump’s plan to withhold funding awarded to 14 states from a seperate $5 billion electric vehicle charger infrastructure fund that was approved in 2022, so there’s some precedent here. From Reuters:
“This is just another reckless attempt that will stall the fight against air pollution and climate change, slow innovation, thwart green job creation, and leave communities without access to clean, affordable transportation,” Bonta said.
One of the programs directs $2.5 billion in funding to states and cities for EV charging and hydrogen fueling infrastructure. The suit, led by California, Washington and Colorado, said Trump’s action “has placed $1.8 billion in federal awards to dozens of state and local governments in jeopardy and made the vast majority of these funds unavailable.”
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Trump has taken aim at electric vehicles on a number of fronts. In June, the Republican president signed a resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act to bar California’s landmark plan to end sale of gasoline-only vehicles by 2035 and two other vehicle rules.
Trump has also —rather infamously — signed legislation that killed the $7,500 EV tax credit, and earlier this month, he proposed slashing fuel economy standards the Biden Administration finalized last year. It’s all part of an effort to make it easier for American automakers to sell gas-powered cars.
Let’s hope this money can get flowing again so our EV infrastructure can be built up to where it needs to be. And, before you all start complaining about subsidies for the EV industry, ask yourself what sort of subsidies the oil and gas industry is getting.
