By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON, Feb 10 (Reuters) – The U.S. Transportation Department said on Tuesday it is proposing to boost American content in federally funded electric vehicle charging stations from 55% to up to 100% and require them to be produced in the United States, which could pose significant hurdles to the use of the funds.
The Biden administration in 2023 agreed to waive some “Buy America” requirements for government-funded electric vehicle charging stations for the $5 billion program to fund the stations.
The proposal – first reported by Reuters – would take immediate effect once the changes are finalized. USDOT said it believes manufacturers have the capacity to produce EV chargers in U.S. facilities, which will “protect Americans from foreign-made EV charger components that use technology with cybersecurity vulnerabilities.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the increase in content requirements will “strengthen domestic manufacturing, generate new American jobs, make U.S. businesses more competitive, and address potential national security concerns.”
During the Biden administration, USDOT’s Federal Highway Administration waived U.S. content requirements for steel, iron and construction materials for EV charging stations, which some Republicans said would result in U.S. taxpayers subsidizing Chinese-made products.
JUDGE RULED AGAINST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
Last month, U.S. District Judge Tana Lin ruled President Donald Trump’s administration unlawfully suspended funding awarded to support the expansion of electric vehicle charger infrastructure, in a victory for 20 Democratic-led states that sued over the action.
The states sued USDOT after it suspended in February an EV charger infrastructure program enacted by Congress in 2021 under Democratic President Joe Biden.
Duffy said USDOT has updated EV charging guidance and made it easier for states to build chargers, resulting in nearly double the number of charging ports completed during the Biden administration. “If Congress wants to see these chargers built, we put America First,” Duffy said.
Soon after Duffy took office, USDOT suspended the $5 billion National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program, which was part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that Biden signed into law in 2021.
The Trump administration has pursued policies to boost the sale of gas-powered vehicles and cut EV incentives for automakers and consumers.
A funding bill approved in January by Congress redirected $879 million in funds approved under Biden for the EV charging network to other infrastructure priorities.
(Reporting by David ShepardsonEditing by Rod Nickel)
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