Building charging stations for electric vehicles every 50 miles along interstate highways and pushing for EVs to be half of all new car sales by 2030 were key components of the Biden administration’s plan to reduce air pollution and spur manufacturing of components for the vehicles.

But after President Donald Trump issued an executive order on his first day in office Monday canceling the $5 billion National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program and stopping distribution of any remaining money, the future of charging stations in Pennsylvania — and across the country — is in doubt.

The program distributed funds in two ways, one through preset allotments to states that submit development plans and the other a competitive program where local governments or private developers presented plans to develop stations in urban or underserved areas.

Under the program, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation was authorized to receive $171.5 million to build 150 charging stations. The program required states to build the first stations along interstate highways and key freight corridors, then give preference to underserved neighborhoods and rural areas to build a full network.

For projects identified and funded by the state, the program requires the developer of the site to contribute 20% of the cost of installation.

PennDOT spokeswoman Alexis Campbell said the state has awarded funds for 100 projects. So far, the federal program has appropriated $135 million to the state, and $59 million has been committed to active projects.

“PennDOT and the Administration are currently evaluating the Executive Order and its potential impacts on Pennsylvania,” Campbell said in an email statement. “Governor [Josh] Shapiro and his Administration understand the vital role infrastructure plays in the daily lives of millions of Pennsylvanians, which is why PennDOT will remain focused on working quickly and safely to ensure roads and bridges are ready for the people who rely on them every day and ensuring we continue to deliver on critical infrastructure needs across the Commonwealth.”

As part of the process, the state identified alternative fuel corridors that would receive the first new stations to provide stations every 50 miles that would be less than a mile from an interstate highway or important freight route. It identified 27 gaps on 15 interstates and Route 30 in the central part of the state as sites for new charging facilities to eliminate the possibility of vehicles running out of power with no place to recharge.

Campbell said 91 of the awarded projects remain active with five already open, 14 others under construction and the rest in various stages of design. The state ranks third in NEVI sites it has opened, behind only Ohio (19) and New York (eight).

With Trump canceling the program, it’s unclear what will happen with the state’s plans for additional sites.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike also has charging stations under development, but spokeswoman Marissa Orbanek said they are not dependent on federal funding. The agency has a goal of having charging stations available at its 20 service plazas by 2027 with the first ones opening by the middle of this year.

Pittsburgh also received $2.9 million for 100 stations in the city through the NEVI program. City officials weren’t available to comment on whether any of its stations are in jeopardy.

Canceling the NEVI program was one of a series of steps Trump took last week to undo Biden programs to reduce pollution and move away from the use of fossil fuels. A story by Reuters news service said Trump also revoked Biden’s 2021 order setting a goal of having electric vehicles make up at least half of all vehicle sales by 2030, said he would ask the Environmental Protection Agency to end permission for states to adopt zero emission rules that would stop the sales of gas-powered vehicles by 2035 and signaled he would consider ending tax credits for EV buyers.

In his order, the president said he would consider “the elimination of unfair subsidies and other ill-conceived government-imposed market distortions that favor EVs over other technologies and effectively mandate their purchase.”

Trump’s actions against electric vehicles and other climate measures such as pulling out of the United Nations Paris climate control efforts brought strong rebukes from environmentalists, among others.

“Repealing clean car standards or stalling offshore wind projects might make a fat cat oil executive want to light a cigar, but they will mean higher prices and fewer choices for the rest of us,” the Natural Resources Defense Council said in a statement. “They will hurt the U.S. economy — threatening jobs for hundreds of thousands of people, and billions of dollars in private investment that has poured into U.S. manufacturing in the past couple years.

“It’s clear that Trump’s invocation of ‘energy dominance’ really means a return to the past — and the dirty fuels that were a part of it. But the U.S. is already transitioning to clean energy — and that’s the direction we should keep moving.”

Ed covers transportation at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at eblazina@unionprogress.com.

Ed Blazina

Ed covers transportation at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at eblazina@unionprogress.com.