A federal judge used an episode from \u201cThe Simpsons\u201d to illustrate her ruling that prevents the Trump administration from withholding money approved for states to build charging networks for electric vehicles.<\/p>\n
Colorado is one of 16 states that recently sued the administration<\/a> for not releasing billions of dollars authorized under the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to build charging stations for EVs. U.S. District Judge Tana Lin in Washington state granted a preliminary junction Tuesday to the states, finding that the administration overstepped its constitutional and statutory authority and attempted \u201cto override the express will of Congress.\u201d<\/p>\n The decision lifts the freeze on federal funds while the case moves forward. The administration can appeal the ruling, but cannot withhold or revoke previously approved funds without following the federal act\u2019s requirements, Lin wrote.<\/p>\n The $5 billion National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program<\/a> was championed by the Biden administration to provide the charging networks to substantially boost the number of EVs on the nation\u2019s roads. Lin referred to a 1995 episode of \u201cThe Simpsons\u201d in which Homer has to cut short a reunion with his long-lost mother because her traveling companies are worried their electric van has only \u201c20 minutes of juice left.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSome 26 years later, Congress sought to address the phenomenon that has come to be known as \u2018range anxiety,’\u201d the concern about finding the next charging station, Lin wrote.<\/p>\n While the NEVI funding was intended to build out a national EV charging network, President Donald Trump issued an executive order<\/a> on his first day in office to pause the money. The order said the goal was to ensure \u201ca level regulatory playing field for consumer choice in vehicles\u201d and directed agencies to review their processes for awarding the grants, loans and contracts.<\/p>\n Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said the state could lose tens of millions of dollars under the administration\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n