A program to award $71 million in grant funding to install electric vehicle charging stations along priority "alternative fuel corridors" throughout Eastern Washington is on pause following a new directive from the Federal Highway Administration.
On Thursday, Emily Biondi, associate administrator of the Office of Planning, Environment and Realty at the Federal Highway Administration, notified the heads of state transportation departments throughout the country that the new leadership at the agency has "decided to review the policies underlying the implementation" of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program.
The program, included in the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, was set to distribute $5 billion to states to "strategically deploy electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and to establish an interconnected network to facilitate data collection, access, and reliability," according to the Federal Highway Administration.
"Effective immediately, no new obligations may occur under the NEVI Formula Program until the updated final NEVI Formula Program Guidance is issued and new State plans are submitted and approved," Biondi wrote Thursday.
According to the Washington State Department of Transportation, the directive halts $102 million that was meant for Washington.
"WSDOT doesn't spend the money itself, we award it to grant applicants for programs and projects," Barbara LaBoe, acting deputy communications director for the agency, wrote in an email.
As of Friday, WSDOT is seeking additional information about the specifics of the suspension.
WSDOT has suspended two programs that total more than $90 million.
One program would award grant funds to install electric vehicle charging stations alongside fuel corridors in the state, which WSDOT was set to receive and distribute $71 million in the program.
While applications for the program were due by the end of January, the agency has not distributed funds due to a "lack of clarity" around the federal funding.
According to the request for proposal for the program, WSDOT had identified five priority "Alternative Fuel Corridors" in the state, most of which would have filled gaps in charging stations for motorists driving to or through the Spokane area, and planned to install between 14 and 19 fueling stations along the corridors throughout the state.
"WSDOT is tracking existing and planned stations that meet port, power, and distance requirements to ensure deploying NEVI infrastructure meets the most critical gaps on our Interstates and US Routes," the request for proposal states.
WSDOT has identified U.S. Highway 195from Spokane to the Idaho border, U.S. Highway 395 from Spokane to the Canadian border, U.S. Highway 2 from Leavenworth to Newport and Interstate 90 from Seattle to the Idaho border as priority alternative fuel corridors in the program. Under the program, grants would have covered up to 80% of the project costs, with applicants required to cover at least 20%.
WSDOT has also paused a program to install medium- and heavy-duty truck charging and hydrogen refueling stations along Interstate 5 and at transportation hubs. The project, which was part of a tri-state grant also awarded to California and Oregon, was in the planning phase. Grants for the project totaled $102 million, with WSDOT receiving $21.1 million.
As of Friday, WSDOT plans to proceed with a $10.1 million grant program to repair electric vehicle charging equipment in the state. According to information from the Federal Highway Administration, the program will fix 560 charging stations in the state. WSDOT said the entirety of the spending in the program has already been authorized.
In her memo, Biondi wrote that "reimbursement of existing obligations will be allowed in order to not disrupt current financial commitments."
The WSDOT was one of 14 state departments of transportation and 10 local entities awarded competitive funding.
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