Burlison introduces bill to rescind federal funding for two EV charging station grants
WASHINGTON– Yesterday, Southwest Missouri Congressman Eric Burlison and Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-WY-At Large) introduced the Undoing Nationwide Programs and Limiting Unnecessary Grants for Electric Vehicles (UNPLUG EVs) Act to rescind funding for the two electric vehicle charging station grants in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
“The federal government’s role isn’t to subsidize the electric vehicle industry, especially when doing so raises energy prices for Americans, makes our grid less reliable, and accelerates Communist China’s already dominant share of the EV market,” said Rep. Burlison.
“Once again, we’re robbing Peter to pay Paul. The average American family is priced out of expensive EVs, yet these same taxpayers are forced to foot the bill for EV infrastructure. In reality, cheap, affordable energy is the foundation of our high standard of living. Forcing Americans to transition away from traditional energy sources makes energy less affordable and reliable, hitting working families the hardest,” Rep. Burlison concluded.
“Last year I spoke on the House floor and exposed the utter failure of President Biden’s NEVI program. Since this program began in November 2021, the Biden Administration has wasted billions of taxpayer dollars to prop up the EV industry. Over 27 months later, they have a grand total of 1 new EV charger built. It is clear that the Biden Administration’s self-imposed EV mandates are unworkable and impractical, and I am proud to partner with Rep. Burlison to salvage whatever taxpayer money has not yet been sacrificed in an attempt to placate the “climate gods,”” said Rep. Hageman.
BACKGROUND:
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act became law on November 15, 2021. It introduced two grant initiatives aimed at deploying electric vehicle charging stations, the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program and the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure grant program. Collectively, these initiatives are backed by a substantial $7.5 billion in funding.
Per the Deloitte 2022 Global Automotive Study, approximately 69% of Americans indicated that their next vehicle would not be electric. Merely 17% expressed potential interest in a hybrid, and a miniscule 5% planned to opt for an electric vehicle. Determining winners and losers in the energy market, is not the government’s responsibility. Instead, consumers and business should be left to navigate the free market without government intervention.