After a yearlong series of legal battles, on January 23, 2026, 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, delivering a resounding victory to Sierra Club, our partners, and 21 states in a challenge to the Trump administration’s unlawful freeze of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program—a $5 billion bipartisan initiative to build reliable, high-speed electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure along America’s highways.
The Court’s order permanently bars the U.S. Department of Transportation from withdrawing states’ NEVI funds, canceling their buildout plans, or otherwise interfering with the program—effectively tamper-proofing NEVI against this administration’s anti-EV policies and clearing the way for states to build a nationwide charging network.
Sierra Club led a coalition of environmental and clean energy groups in joining this 17-state-led lawsuit, representing Sierra Club members who were directly harmed by the freeze—especially those in the three dozen states that were not part of the litigation. Our people-powered case, which was developed by Sierra Club’s Environmental Law Program, was supported by oral arguments and nearly 60 declarations documenting the real-world impacts on members and their communities. By fighting on behalf of our members across the country, we were able to secure broad, nationwide protection for the NEVI program that extends well beyond the states that filed the lawsuit.
Alongside our successful NEVI intervention, on December 16, 2025, Sierra Club and our partners filed a new lawsuit challenging the unlawful freeze of the $2.5 billion Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Program (CFI), a complementary initiative designed to fill in EV charging infrastructure gaps in neighborhoods and communities.
These cases showcase our broader strategy of fighting alongside and within states to keep clean transportation progress on track, even under Trump.
Sierra Club was represented by lead counsel Joe Halso, Senior Attorney Josh Berman, and Managing Attorney Josh Stebbins, with local counsel provided by Earthjustice attorney Jan Hasselman.