An electric vehicle on a charger. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the number of charging stations in Arkansas is behind other states and more urban areas of the country. (Shutterstock)
Nearly $15 million in electric vehicle infrastructure projects across Arkansas have been halted after the Trump administration suspended a national program that funded the projects, the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) announced Tuesday.
Under the Arkansas Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment Program, federal funds had been allocated to 19 publicly-accessible charging stations along six interstate highways and one state highway. But on Feb. 6, the Federal Highway Administration issued a letter rescinding guidance for its EV infrastructure program, placing projects across the country on hold.
The letter also prohibited any new funding under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program.
As a result, ARDOT closed its current request for proposals for the state’s federally-funded EV infrastructure program. Arkansas had been set to receive $54.1 million from the program.
The program had been expected to provide more than $5 billion in grants to help build out EV infrastructure nationally. Estimates suggest $3.3 billion of NEVI funding had already gone out to states.
States that currently have NEVI-funded projects up and running mostly have been reimbursed by the federal government. States with projects in the works, or those currently contracting for them, don’t know if or when they will be able to proceed and request reimbursement.
The program was suspended after President Donald Trump slammed federal funding for EV chargers as “an incredible waste of taxpayer dollars.”
The Federal Highway Administration said it’s updating NEVI to align with current policies and priorities, including those set forth in a U.S. Department of Transportation Order published Friday. Officials aim to publish the new guidance this spring.
In a news release, ARDOT said it will reevaluate the NEVI program once it receives updated guidance.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.