Trump administration has finally rolled out new guidance to unlock $5 billion in electric vehicle charger funding. States can now start dishing out the cash after months of being frozen.
The issue started when a coalition of states sued over the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program freeze. A judge ruled in June that these states would likely win and slapped an injunction on the spending hold.
The Department of Transportation (DOT), led by former MTV host Sean Duffy, pushed back hard. They said states were slow to spend the money — as of May, 84% of the $5 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was still unallocated, and only a handful of chargers were built. 
DOT claimed the freeze was for a “review process” to align NEVI with administration priorities. Now the details are out.
The new guidance scraps many previous requirements. States no longer need to address consumer protections, emergency evacuation plans, or environmental siting before starting construction. Rules mandating a set share of chargers in rural, underserved, or disadvantaged communities are gone.
Labor and safety standards? Dropped. Minority- and women-owned business opportunities? Also removed.
Sean Duffy and DOT seem focused on speeding deployment, even at the cost of earlier safeguards.
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The frozen $5 billion is finally thawing. But with lighter rules, the rollout faces new questions on equity and safety.
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