Colorado has joined 16 other states to sue the Trump administration for not releasing billions of dollars that Congress approved to build charging stations for electric vehicles.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said in a statement that the state stands to lose tens of millions of dollars to build out the infrastructure needed to get more electric vehicles on the road.
The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in federal court in Washington state.
“Colorado has already made significant progress in developing the foundation for infrastructure needed for widespread electric vehicle adoption,” Weiser said, “and the state’s federally approved plans were designed to fill gaps in rural Colorado and other underserved communities.”
On the first day of his second term, President Donald Trump issued an executive order titled “Unleashing American Energy” that included eliminating the “electric vehicle” mandate. The order said the goal is to ensure “a level regulatory playing field for consumer choice in vehicles.”
“A bipartisan majority of Congress authorized funding for electric vehicle infrastructure, and President Trump and the Department of Transportation are breaking the law by revoking it,” Weiser said.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed by Congress in 2022 appropriated $5 billion for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program, or NEVI, to facilitate electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the states. In February, the Trump administration directed states to stop spending the NEVI money that former President Joe Biden championed.
The Biden administration announced a goal of seeing that electric vehicles made up half of the new cars sold in 2030.
Weiser said state agencies developed plans to spend $57 million, with $44 million approved by the Federal Highway Administration for fiscal 2022 to 2025. While Colorado has awarded $33 million, with contractual guarantees of $18 million, Weiser said the federal government has distributed only $8 million. That leaves the state and its contractors in an uncertain position, he added.
The state’s goal is to have more than 2 million electric cars and SUVs on Colorado roads by 2035. The state has approved programs and incentives for people to buy electric vehicles and install chargers.
There are more than 5,600 charging stations across the state and nearly 179,000 electric vehicles registered in Colorado.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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