The Trump administration has finally issued new guidance that states can use to distribute $5 billion in funding for electric vehicle charging infrastructure, after spending months withholding the money. A coalition of states sued over the funding freeze in the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program, which was one of the administration’s many attempts to block funding approved by Congress at the start of Donald Trump’s second term. A judge ruled in June that those states were likely to succeed and issued an injunction against the administration’s spending freeze.
The Department of Transportation (DOT), led by former MTV personality Sean Duffy, has criticized the states for taking too long to spend the money. As of May, around 84% of the $5 billion—authorized as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law—remained unallocated, with only a few dozen chargers built so far.
Duffy and the DOT claimed the funding was only paused for a “review process” to ensure the NEVI program aligned with the administration’s priorities. A new press release issued Monday clarifies what that entails.
Unsurprisingly, the new guidance focuses on simplifying the review process for charging stations. States will no longer need to consider consumer protections, emergency evacuation plans, environmental siting, or other previously required steps before construction begins. The DOT has also eliminated requirements that a certain percentage of charging stations be built in rural, underserved, or disadvantaged communities.
Additionally, the DOT removed language from the guidance that required proposals to demonstrate how the implementation would promote strong labor, safety training, and installation standards. It also struck provisions that encouraged opportunities for minority- and women-owned small businesses to participate.
The revised guidance marks a significant shift in how the NEVI program will be implemented, prioritizing speed and deregulation over previous safeguards and equity measures.