In a win for EVs, the climate, and public health, NEVI funds protected from further interference from Trump administration
In late January 2026, 17 states and a coalition of climate and environmental organizations succeeded in blocking the Trump Administration’s attempt to undermine bipartisan-approved funding for a national network of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, scoring a major win for current and prospective EV drivers as well as our climate and public health.
On January 23, a U.S. District Court Judge Tana Lin entered a final judgment in a lawsuit against the federal government for its unlawful freezing of funds for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) formula grant program, a program that allocated $5 billion in grants to all states to support the build-out of a nationwide public fast charging network. The NEVI program was approved by Congress as part of the 2021 Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act, a bipartisan piece of legislation that remained largely intact after the federal reconciliation law this past July gutted the clean energy programs funded by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.
In response to the Trump Administration’s freezing of NEVI funds, a group of states (including Minnesota) sued to release those funds, with a coalition of nonprofit climate and clean energy organizations intervening to support the states’ lawsuit. After a preliminary injunction and an attempt by the federal government to require states to re-submit previously approved NEVI plans to access funding — another effort to slow-roll the program — Judge Tana Lin ruled that the U.S. Department of Transportation acted outside the law and is barred from withholding NEVI funds or further interfering with states’ NEVI plans. Read more about this case from our partner Sierra Club here.
“NEVI is a landmark program that is helping the U.S. and Minnesota build the backbone of public fast charging needed to accelerate the transition underway to a cleaner, healthier, and more affordable electric transportation system for all,” said Anjali Bains, Managing Director of Transportation at Fresh Energy. “Fresh Energy applauds the decision by the U.S. District Court Judge Tana Lin to protect NEVI, and we thank the clean energy and environmental organizations who worked hard to get us here.”
Through continued leadership from states and private entities, the number of installed public chargers in the U.S. continues to grow. With NEVI protected from the unlawful maneuvers of the Trump Administration, the vision of a nationwide fast public charging network that connects all states is closer to being realized, thanks to the persistence of climate action-aligned states, our nonprofit community, and our courts — an integral part of our democracy and crucial for preserving progress made on climate and clean energy in the U.S. and Minnesota.
Clearing the path for more EV charging in Minnesota is central to the work of Fresh Energy’s Transportation team. Fresh Energy will continue to collaborate with partners and work hard at the Minnesota legislature and Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to swiftly and equitably advance electric transportation, bringing its layered economic, climate, and public health benefits to more Minnesotans.