NV deprived of $38M in EV charging funds following Trump program suspension
Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) said Wednesday that the state's NEVI strategy was 'ready to be released when the federal government paused the program, placing the process on hold pending further federal guidance.' (Photo: Ronda Churchill/Nevada Current)
The Trump administration halted a federal program that promised Nevada $38 million to build faster, more efficient electric vehicle chargers along the state's highways.
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) issued a memo last week announcing the suspension of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program (NEVI) while the U.S. Department of Transportation reevaluates the program, leaving Nevada's $38 million in funds in limbo.
The suspension follows a series of funding freezes under the Trump administration targeting climate-related programs financed under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act and Inflation Reduction Act, including $7 million in funding for electric school buses, and $20 million for community solar on reservations.
Officials with the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) said Wednesday that the state's NEVI strategy was 'ready to be released when the federal government paused the program, placing the process on hold pending further federal guidance.'
Nevada is now back at square one and will need to submit new plans specifying how the state plans to deploy unspent funds in accordance with new guidance under the Trump administration, a time-consuming process that will likely delay the states' ability to access charger funds indefinitely.
'NDOT is awaiting further guidance from FHWA and will submit a new state plan for approval once updated federal requirements are provided,' said Kelsey McFarland, a public information officer for the Nevada Department of Transportation.
The move by the Trump administration to delay states' access to congressionally obligated funds could be an attempt to circumvent lawsuits temporarily banning his use of broad funding freezes.
Unlike earlier funding freezes, the suspension of the NEVI program still allows states to be reimbursed for 'existing obligations' under the EV charger program, meaning states can fulfill existing contracts with companies that won grants to install chargers.
However, Nevada has not awarded any of its federal funding, cutting the state off from its entire $38 million in funding and leaving it especially vulnerable to the suspension.
Several other states had already managed to award millions in funding under the NEVI program before its suspension. While 37 states issued millions in NEVI awards — with 13 having at least one operational station by the time the program was suspended — Nevada did not.
McFarland said Nevada 'faced unique challenges in rolling out NEVI funds, particularly in rural areas where sufficient energy capacity is not readily available to support new EV chargers.'
McFarland also said Nevada was slow to deploy awards under the program because NDOT wanted to ensure their plan 'aligned with the state's infrastructure priorities' while 'balancing the need for speed with the responsibility to ensure projects would be eligible for reimbursement.'
The purpose of the NEVI program is to build faster, more efficient chargers along highway corridors, specifically DC fast chargers which can charge an electric vehicle from zero to 80% in about 20 minutes. The program was created through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2021.
Nevada's NEVI plan included large investments to establish fast charging stations along several highways: U.S. Route 95, from Las Vegas to Reno; Interstate 80, from West Wendover in Elko to Reno; and U.S. Route 93 from Las Vegas to Ely.
The Trump administration first attempted to suspend the NEVI program last month through an executive order calling for the immediate halt of energy grants, loans, and contracts funded through the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Act. That order was soon temporarily shut down by a U.S. District Court judge.
Beyond targeting chargers, Trump has also promised to cancel a $7,500 federal tax credit for EV purchases and rescind fuel economy standards that are encouraging automakers to shift to EVs.
On Tuesday, several Democratic members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee wrote a letter to the recently appointed U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, demanding the immediate reinstatement of the program.
The letter questioned the constitutionality of abruptly withholding or postponing funding for programs authorized and funded by Congress and enacted into law.
'Unfortunately, your refusal to release NEVI funds to states is part of a larger, ongoing pattern by the Trump Administration of subverting the Constitution's delegation to Congress of authority over federal spending. As sweeping and vague as recent Executive Orders may be in expressing the administration's policy preferences, they do not provide license under the Constitution to cut off funding for programs authorized and funded by Congress and enacted into law,' reads the letter.
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