A new federal order that freezes a Biden-era program to build a national network of electric vehicle charging stations has confounded states, which had been allocated billions of dollars by Congress for the program.
In interviews on Friday, some state officials said that as a result of the memo from the Trump administration, they had stopped work on the charging stations. Others said they intended to keep going.
In Ohio, where Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, has welcomed federal money to build 19 E.V. charging stations, Breanna Badanes, a spokeswoman for the state’s Transportation Department, said Friday that “it’s safe to say we’re not sure” how or whether the state will build more.
“Those stations will continue operating, but as far as what comes next, we’re in the same boat with everyone else, just trying to figure it out,” she said.
The Feb. 6 memo signed by Emily Biondi, an associate administrator at the U.S. Transportation Department, said that the administration was “suspending approval of state electric vehicle infrastructure deployment plans.” The memo singled out the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure, or NEVI, program, which was authorized under the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law.
A national network of fast charging stations was part of President Joseph R. Biden’s Jr.’s effort to combat climate change by accelerating the nation’s transition to electric vehicles.
Under the program, states were to receive $5 billion to build 500,000 charging stations by 2030. To date, about $3.3 billion has been allocated to states. Of that, $511 million has been awarded in contracts but only $40 million has been spent, according to Nick Nigro, the founder of Atlas Public Policy, a research firm.
Asked to clarify whether the freeze applied to the money that has been allocated but not awarded by states to contractors, a spokeswoman for the Transportation Department wrote in an email, “During this process, no new obligations may occur under the program, but reimbursement of existing obligations will continue in order to not disrupt current financial commitments.”
The memo seems to align with President Trump’s opposition to federal support for electric vehicles. He has promised to revoke pollution limits on automobiles that were designed to increase sales of zero-emissions cars, and to end federal tax credits of up to $7,500 to buyers of electric vehicles.
But, “different people seem to be reading it differently,” said Jim Tymon, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
Some state officials said they believed that the administration intends to pull back unspent money that has already been allocated to the states by formula — a move that would be unheard-of, as such formula funding “has been the bedrock of federal-state partnership for 100 years,” Mr. Tymon said.
Vermont, which has built four charging ports at one location with the federal funds, will halt work on its program, said Patrick Murphy, the policy director at the Vermont Agency of Transportation. In December, the state awarded 11 new projects to add 60 charging ports across the state. Those projects will not proceed with funding from the federal program until the state receives further guidance from the Transportation Department, Mr. Murphy said.
Some state officials said the federal government’s directive would not substantially change their plans.
The Maryland Department of Transportation said in a statement that it was “moving forward with its obligated NEVI funding,” adding that it was “awaiting new guidance from US D.O.T. to advance future funding rounds of this congressionally authorized program. Maryland is committed to pressing forward with our strategy to deliver charging infrastructure for clean cars to drivers across the state.”
Officials at the Tennessee Department of Transportation said the state would continue to finalize contracts with companies during the pause.
“There are still coordination and planning activities the department will be working on which is part of our state’s larger transportation and energy programs,” Beth Emmons, a department spokeswoman, said in a statement. Tennessee has not yet opened a charging station with the federal funding, although it has selected 30 sites.
If plans for the federally funded charging stations are canceled, it could harm companies in regions and industries that are typically aligned with Mr. Trump. One of the largest recipients of the state E.V. charging money is Love’s, an Oklahoma-based truck stop company with more than 600 gasoline and diesel stations and convenience stores. Several states used their NEVI funding to sign contracts with the company to build E.V. charging stations.
Kim Okafor, general manager of zero emissions programs for Love’s, said in a statement: “Love’s remains committed to meeting customers’ needs regardless of fuel type and believes a robust electric vehicle charging network is a part of that. Love’s will continue to monitor related executive orders and subsequent changes in law to determine the next steps.”
Loren McDonald, the chief analyst at Paren, an E.V. analytics company, said the program’s pause would not have a “huge negative impact on the industry,” given that the federal program’s charging ports made up a relatively small share of the total number of charging stations built in the past year.
He said the program’s pause would be most felt in rural areas where companies have less reason to build chargers without federal subsidies. “The whole role and value of the program is putting those charging stations out in upstate New York or rural Alabama,” Mr. McDonald said.
