Judge protects billions for reliable EV charging; cleaner air and lower driving costs across the country

This press release was originally published by Plug In America on January 23, 2026.

SEATTLE – Today, U.S. District Court Judge Tana Lin of the Western District of Washington entered final judgment in State of Washington v. U.S. Department of Transportation, a lawsuit challenging the administration’s unlawful freeze of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program—a $5 billion federal initiative to build reliable, high-speed electric vehicle charging infrastructure along America’s highways.

The Court’s order represents a complete victory for plaintiffs, ensuring that States can move forward with building NEVI-funded charging infrastructure. The order permanently bars the U.S. Department of Transportation from withdrawing States’ funds, canceling implementation plans, or otherwise interfering with the program in violation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

The case was originally brought by 17 States, led by Washington, Colorado and California. The Sierra Club, together with NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), Climate Solutions, Plug In America, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, West End Revitalization Association, and CleanAIRE NC, then joined the case as plaintiff-intervenors to represent the interests of their members harmed by the freeze, particularly to protect affordable charging access in the nearly three dozen States that did not join the litigation as plaintiffs.

Read the full press release here.