Colorado pushes ahead on clean energy as EV funding returns

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(The Center Square) – Colorado is once again set to receive $57 million in federal monies as part of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Grant program.

This comes after the U.S. Department of Transportation announced plans last month to reinstate the funding, which was paused in February pending review.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the review was necessary to streamline the program and allow states to actually move forward with building chargers. States did have to re-submit their plans. 

“The Biden-Buttigieg Administration failed to deliver EV chargers despite their promises. Our revised NEVI guidance slashes red tape and makes it easier for states to efficiently build out this infrastructure,” Duffy said. “While I don’t agree with subsidizing green energy, we will respect Congress' will and make sure this program uses federal resources efficiently.”

The NEVI program is a national initiative funded by the federal 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and dedicates $5 billion to build a nationwide network of public EV charging stations.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has led the charge for the NEVI program. The state joined 19 others in suing the Trump administration when it announced its pause of the program earlier this year.

Polis, a Democrat, expressed great concern with the pause.

“Electric vehicles are saving people money and protecting our air,” he said of the suspension. “The Trump administration is trying to put Colorado EV drivers in a pothole.”

Colorado even went so far as to announce plans in August to invest $5 million of its own money into electric chargers to continue with its clean energy goals, despite concerns about federal funding.

Federal changes to NEVI

The U.S. Department of Transportation said in its announcement of the program's reinstatement that the changes to NEVI were necessary.

“The updates streamline applications, provide states with more flexibility, and slash red tape left by the Biden-Buttigieg Administration,” it said. “This will ensure charging stations are actually built, and federal funding is spent effectively and efficiently.”

When the program was paused in February, 84% of NEVI Formula program funds remained unobligated. The department said that was a “clear signal of the program’s failure.”

Under the new guidelines for the program:

• Applications will be streamlined.

• The approval process will be simplified.

• States will have more flexibility with where chargers are placed and how the money is used.

Overall, the department said this will “accelerate project delivery.”

NEVI in Colorado

The NEVI program is expected to fund 168 new fast charging ports at 29 locations across Colorado in multiple rounds, with the state itself investing $48 million through the first three rounds.

Though the program was first funded in 2021, it took years for Colorado to open any stations.

Just this year, Colorado opened its first few NEVI-funded electric vehicle charging stations. Ten are currently open throughout the state, while another 50 have been conditionally awarded, according to the NEVI Awards Dashboard.

The NEVI program is part of a broader plan by Colorado to move toward electric vehicles.

Longterm, the state hopes that light-duty electric vehicles will make up “nearly 100%” of the market share by 2050.

“The state envisions the large-scale transition of Colorado’s transportation system to zero emission vehicles,” said Colorado’s 2023 Electric Vehicle Plan.

Implementation of the NEVI program, which the Biden administration hoped would lead to 500,000 publicly available EV chargers by 2030, has been slow nationwide.

So far, only 98 sites have opened up across the country as a part of NEVI, according to the NEVI Awards Dashboard. Another 10 are under construction, 215 have been awarded, and 534 have been conditionally awarded.