DOVER — The Trump administration has cut off funding for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program, leaving Delaware’s transition to having more electric vehicles on its roads, and the funding leaders were relying on to make it happen, now in question.
The NEVI program, created through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and signed by now-former President Joe Biden, had set aside $5 billion in two programs to install a network of 500,000 charging stations across the country. Delaware was set to receive $17.65 million in federal funds to add EV charging stations along Interstate 95, U.S. Route 113, U.S. Route 13 and Delaware Route 1. The abrupt policy reversal from the U.S. Department of Transportation leaves about $7.5 million in limbo.
A memo to various state departments of transportation said that there would be no access to the funding for future construction projects. There has already been $510 million awarded to install the proposed charging ports.
U.S. Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) and other Democrats are demanding answers from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) about the program, stressing that every state has already invested time and resources in plans which were previously approved by the federal government.
“Your abrupt cutoff of NEVI funding disregards these efforts and subjects states and their partners to delay, uncertainty, and bureaucratic red tape. It also threatens the jobs, innovation, and environmental benefits that this program was ready and authorized to deliver through implementation,” the coalition of Democratic senators wrote to U.S. DOT Secretary Sean Duffy.
The Senators also wrote that the move to halt the program was part of a larger pattern by the Trump administration to bypass Congress’ authority as outlined in the Constitution.
“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, and upon which our sovereign states have justifiably relied,” the letter said.
Several states including Delaware have been working to take action to implement climate change action plans and many call for finding ways to incentivize EVs over gas-powered cars. Two years ago, now-former Gov. John Carney signed the Climate Solutions Act, which dedicated the state to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 and 100% by 2050. That law set the framework to push the state to consider many alternatives, including EVs and zero-emission vehicles, as well as establishing building standards to maximize solar infrastructure for homes and businesses.
In the time since the Climate Solutions Act was passed, legislators are starting work to tap into the offshore wind industry and the state government has started transitioning away from gas-power cars. Carney also set emission standards for cars in the next decade, requiring 82% of new cars and trucks sold in the state to be electric or hybrid models starting with the car model year of 2027.
Part of the challenge in asking consumers to move to EVs includes the high price for the vehicle which, according to the Kelley Blue Book, was around $55,544 per sale in January, but federal and state incentives aim to bring that cost down. EV chargers themselves are also difficult to come across. The Delaware Natural Resources and Environmental Control and Delaware Department of Transportation reported 600 commercial and rapid charging stations in the state as of this past July, with more than 12,500 ports needed to meet demand by 2032.
The Delaware Business Times requested information from both the Delaware Natural Resources and Environmental Control and Delaware Department of Transportation on this issue, but those requests were returned by Gov. Matt Meyer’s office.
Mila Myles, a spokeswoman for the governor, confirmed that while the remaining $7.5 million for the NEVI program was expected in Fiscal Years 2025 and 2026, that funding is now uncertain due to the suspension of funds ordered by the Trump administration.
“We are focused on managing the funding already allocated,” Myles told DBT. “There have been no delays in previously announced NEVI projects, and DelDOT has not experienced setbacks in other federal EV-related programs. We will continue to monitor any developments at the federal-level and will evaluate any direct impact on Delawareans.”
Environmental groups like the Sierra Club Delaware Chapter decried the action from the Trump administration. Dustyn Thompson, the director chapter for Sierra Club Delaware, said that Rochester’s move to ask the U.S. DOT answers was a prime example of her dedication to environmental and energy policies.
“This recent move to join the movement to push back against a rogue administration who is flagrantly defying recent federal court decisions is another example of her dedication to protecting our progress on the environment and helping everyday Delawareans who rely on these federal funds and the jobs and services they provide,” Thompson said.
