Nonprofits Sue Trump Administration Over Illegal Freeze of Billions For Electric Vehicle Charging

WASHINGTON STATE – Today, a coalition of environmental, consumer, and community organizations joined a challenge to the Trump administration’s unlawful and indefinite freeze of billions in federal funding for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program, a transformative, $5 billion initiative to build electric vehicle charging stations every 50 miles on major corridors across all 50 states.  

The Federal Highway Administration and Department of Transportation acted without authority, unreasonably, and in violation of the Constitution when they indefinitely froze the NEVI Formula Program. The coalition is seeking the nationwide restoration of NEVI funds to build EV charging stations in every corner of the country.

NEVI is essential as the American public increasingly opts for electric vehicles that are more accessible than ever before. Used EVs are more affordable than used combustion vehicles, and the lifetime cost of owning an EV is already lower than combustion cars in most cases. More drivers are recognizing these benefits and are opting to go electric: in states like Colorado and California, a quarter of all car sales are zero-emissions. 

Just as the U.S. has invested in building out broadband access and modernizing roads and bridges, developing a network of electric vehicle charging stations is key infrastructure that helps the country stay competitive and move forward with the rest of the world. The NEVI program can deliver thousands of good jobs across the country and ensure that all drivers — from urban to rural areas in all corners of the country — have access to high quality charging stations.

In the May 22 filing, the Sierra Club, Climate Solutions, Earthjustice, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Plug In America, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, CleanAIRE NC, the West End Revitalization Association, and the Southern Environmental Law Center seek to join a lawsuit brought by 16 states and the District of Columbia in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. 

QUOTES FROM REPRESENTATIVES OF FILING ORGANIZATIONS:

“Donald Trump is trying to cut jobs, increase pollution, and endanger our health. We refuse to let him,” said Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous. “NEVI benefits everyone, whether you drive an EV or not, and the only people who benefit from blocking it are Big Oil and auto executives seeking to keep us hooked on fossil fuel-powered cars, while communities in every corner of the country lose out on infrastructure investments in our growing clean energy economy. The NEVI Program is working and states are legally entitled to the money allocated to them by Congress. Once again, we are taking the Trump administration to court over its reckless and illegal actions.”

“The Trump administration is going rogue by recklessly freezing funds authorized by Congress. We still have three branches of government in this country,” said Jan Hasselman, senior attorney with Earthjustice. “Without investments to build out EV charging, the United States will be left behind while the rest of the world moves forward.”

“On a bipartisan basis, Congress funded this program to ensure a robust electric vehicle charging network nationwide. Cutting off NEVI funding with zero process and based solely on political whims is illegal,” said Atid Kimelman, clean vehicles attorney at NRDC. “The halt in funding has thrown state efforts to build charging stations into turmoil, and it will mean workers and drivers suffer. The only winners from this illegal action are billionaire oil barons.”

“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.”

“For decades, communities like ours in Alamance County, North Carolina, have been denied access to basic infrastructure,” said Omega Wilson, co-director of the West End Revitalization Association. “The NEVI Program offered a real chance to change that—with public investment in EV charging that finally included 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. We’re fighting to protect our place in the clean transportation future.”

“Tailpipe pollution is a public health crisis—fueling asthma, heart disease, and respiratory illness in communities already overburdened by environmental harm,” said Jeff Robbins, Executive Director of CleanAIRE NC. “NEVI was 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.”

“We’ve spent years working to accelerate transportation electrification across the South—where clean mobility is critical for climate, health, and economic opportunity,” said Stephen Smith, Executive Director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. “The NEVI Program is one of the most practical tools we have to help states build reliable, accessible EV charging where it’s needed most. Suspending it puts hard-won progress at risk and leaves Southern communities without the resources to lead in the transition to clean energy.”

“Years of work with drivers tells us one thing: lack of reliable charging is a top barrier to going electric,” said Joel Levin, Executive Director of Plug In America. “Drivers were told help was coming—that the NEVI Program would build a dependable, nationwide network and make EVs a real option for everyone. Freezing it breaks that promise. It stalls adoption, shakes consumer confidence, and shuts Americans out of the future of transportation—while other countries race ahead. We’re standing up for drivers and demanding the government keep its word.”

More Background:

In February, the Trump administration halted the NEVI Formula Program, issuing a letter to states that prohibited new projects and cancelled previously-approved state plans for using the funds. Although $3.27 billion had been allocated to states, only $525 million had been committed to specific projects, leaving $2.75 billion indefinitely frozen.

NEVI is funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that Congress passed in 2021. NEVI is driving innovation in every state across the country, with Texas as the largest beneficiary.