Gov. Evers Announces New Lawsuit Suing Trump Administration, USDOT for Obstructing Wisconsin Infrastructure Funding

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today announced Wisconsin is joining a new lawsuit to stop the Trump Administration from blocking over $60 million in National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program funding Wisconsin expected to receive to support electric vehicle infrastructure projects across the state. The lawsuit comes after Gov. Evers has spent months urging the Trump Administration and U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Secretary Sean Duffy to release and stop obstructing funding that Wisconsin was promised to expand access to electric vehicle infrastructure across the state and prevent any delays in federal funding to support improving Wisconsin infrastructure.

“Improving Wisconsin’s roads, bridges, and infrastructure has been a top priority for me and my administration from the get-go, which is why I’ve made clear to the Trump Administration and Secretary Sean Duffy for months that I would not tolerate any delays in investments to help support our state’s infrastructure. But now, the Trump Administration and Secretary Duffy are obstructing over $60 million to support infrastructure projects, and we’re being forced to put projects across Wisconsin on hold—that’s unacceptable. So, we’re taking them to court,” said Gov. Evers. “The Trump Administration and Secretary Duffy are singlehandedly trying to block Wisconsin from receiving the investments we were promised. It’s bad for the people of Wisconsin, it’s bad for our infrastructure, it’s bad for our economy, and it’s illegal. We’re suing to force the Trump Administration to release these funds so we can get back to work building the 21st-century infrastructure Wisconsinites need and deserve.”

At issue in the lawsuit Gov. Evers announced today is over $60 million (approximately $62.65 million) in critical infrastructure funding that Wisconsin was promised—including funding for 15 already-approved electric vehicle infrastructure projects across Wisconsin—investments that were already approved by the U.S. Congress years ago. A list of the 15 projects being held up by the Trump Administration and the USDOT are available below including multiple projects located in the congressional district that now-Secretary Duffy used to represent in the U.S. Congress. Due to the Trump Administration’s and USDOT’s continued obstruction, Wisconsin is unable to access the remaining funding the state was promised and cannot issue any further awards to support infrastructure projects across the state.

The lawsuit Gov. Evers announced today seeks to force the Trump Administration to stop obstructing infrastructure investments that Wisconsin and other states were expecting to receive and to immediately release the funding. The lawsuit further argues that the Trump Administration’s attempts to block electric vehicle infrastructure funding that was already approved by the U.S. Congress violate constitutional checks and balances.

Gov. Evers, who has long advocated for investments to fix and improve Wisconsin’s roads, bridges, and infrastructure, has spent months raising concerns about the Trump Administration’s obstruction and delays for Wisconsin infrastructure funding.

In February, Wisconsin received notice that USDOT and Secretary Duffy were attempting to retroactively suspend EV infrastructure investments in states across the country, including Wisconsin—many of which were approved long ago—by suddenly yanking the Secretary’s approval of Wisconsin’s electric vehicle investment plans. At the time of the notice, Wisconsin had already begun announcing recipients, executing contracts, and obligating funds under this critical program to expand federally funded electric vehicle charging infrastructure statewide. Gov. Evers blasted the move at the time, saying, “This is yet another foolish Trump Administration decision affecting projects, communities, and Wisconsinites across our state, from Janesville to Tomah and Rice Lake to Green Bay and Thorp to Mosinee.”

In March, Gov. Evers sent a letter to former Wisconsin Congressman and now USDOT Secretary Duffy urging immediate action to prevent uncertainty and potential delays for Wisconsin infrastructure projects, including addressing threats to funding and delays for projects in Wisconsin and across the country. The governor’s letter came after similar concerns were raised by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), which represents state departments of transportation, in a letter to the Trump Administration, indicating states are experiencing review and permitting delays at USDOT.

Gov. Evers last year signed historic bipartisan legislation to enable the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) to receive and administer over $78 million in NEVI investments, and in May 2024, the governor and WisDOT announced that $23 million of these funds would be used to support 53 projects to expand electric vehicle infrastructure across Wisconsin. Earlier this year, Gov. Evers celebrated the opening of the first electric vehicle charging stations funded by the NEVI Formula Program in Wisconsin. Now, the remaining more than $60 million for Wisconsin infrastructure remains in jeopardy and is being obstructed by the Trump Administration and USDOT.

A copy of the lawsuit filing is available here.

ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND
In November 2021, former President Joe Biden signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, designating $7.5 billion to build out a national network of electric vehicle charging stations. The NEVI Formula Program lays the groundwork for formula funding designation and use and is specifically intended to build out the electric vehicle charging system along federally designated Alternative Fuel Corridors. The NEVI Formula Program allocated over $78 million to Wisconsin to bolster the state’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure network.

Administered by WisDOT, the Wisconsin Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (WEVI) Program is a competitive grant program that distributes NEVI Formula Program funds to eligible entities for the installation, ownership, operation, and maintenance of NEVI-compliant electric vehicle charging stations throughout the state. The WEVI plan ensures the funding will support charging stations that will be available to electric vehicle drivers wherever they travel in the state. Under the WEVI Program, charging stations will be built within one mile of a highway intersection or interstate exit along Wisconsin’s Alternative Fuel Corridors, with the goal of ultimately reaching all corners of the state to support the more than 29,000 electric vehicles currently registered in the state, as well as travelers and visitors.

For three consecutive fiscal years, Wisconsin had submitted state plans in accordance with federal law and guidance identifying how Wisconsin planned to strategically deploy investments relating to the electric vehicle charging network under the NEVI Formula Program. For three consecutive fiscal years, Wisconsin’s state plan has been approved by the USDOT, for which the secretary has now attempted to withdraw approval. When USDOT Secretary Duffy attempted to retroactively withdraw secretary approval of Wisconsin’s electric vehicle infrastructure plans, it left Wisconsin in the lurch after the state had spent years making plans and relying upon federal investments the Trump Administration and USDOT are now obstructing.

Gov. Evers and the Evers Administration have been hard at work to build a strong clean energy economy, including establishing the Governor’s Task Force on Climate Change and prioritizing supporting hybrid-electric vehicles, electric vehicles, and related infrastructure as a key climate pollution reduction recommendation in the Task Force final report. Additionally, Gov. Evers and the Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy released the state’s first-ever Clean Energy Plan, which recommends accelerating the development of Wisconsin’s electric vehicle and electric vehicle charging station equipment manufacturing and supporting the transition to electric vehicles statewide. According to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, Wisconsin has the potential to emerge as a worldwide player in the manufacturing of electric vehicles and related equipment and ranks higher than the national average in key electric vehicles job categories, including electrical engineers, industrial engineers, and computer programmers.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.