Legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) would give state governments the ability to reallocate unobligated funds from the federal electric vehicle (EV) programs.
The Highway Funding Flexibility Act would place the authority with state when it comes to decided how best to use federal funding previously allocated to federal electric vehicle programs. Eligible uses would include engineering, design, construction, reconstruction, resurfacing, restoration and rehabilitation of roads, bridges and truck parking facility. Johnson said it has received $29 million from the federal government that can’t currently be spent on other priority infrastructure needs because of bureaucratic red tape.
“American infrastructure is lagging behind our competitors, especially China’s, and we lack the infrastructure to support a full switch to electric vehicles,” Johnson said. “The EV priorities of the Biden Administration have passed, and states are left with money they cannot use. Meanwhile, our roads are filled with potholes and there are bridges that need to be rebuilt. My bill will release these EV funds to empower states to fund the projects that are the biggest priority for them – not for a political agenda.”
The Biden Administration’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act focused on implementing infrastructure to meet the demand for electric vehicles. Johnson said the country lacks the infrastructure for charging and implementing a full switch to EVS and the money allocated to states should instead be spent as states see fit, now that the Trump administration has eliminated those priorities. The IIJA provided $5 billion for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program, and $2.5 billion for the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant Program. An estimated 84 percent of the NEVI program remains unobligated.
“Despite billions of taxpayer dollars being allocated for the NEVI program, only a few dozen EV chargers were installed over the course of several years due to the poorly planned rollout. As radical EV mandates are repealed and consumer interest in EVs wanes, it is time to finally put an end to this boondoggle,” Henry Hanscom, Senior Vice President of Legislative Affairs American Trucking Association, said. “The trucking industry commends Rep. Johnson for introducing the Highway Funding Flexibility Act, which will repurpose these investments for more worthwhile projects. By removing bureaucratic red tape, states will be better able to meet pressing infrastructure needs, such as repairing roads and bridges and alleviating congestion that costs our supply chain over $100 billion annually.”
The legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Reps. Jefferson Shreve (R-IN) and Jeff Hurd (R-CO). Companion legislation was introduced in the Senate by U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY).