The U.S. House of Representatives today passed a Congressional Review Act (CRA) measure to overturn a recently finalized and temporary U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) waiver of Buy America policies for electric vehicle (EV) chargers.

The FHWA Buy America waiver requires that from the issuance of the waiver through its conclusion in July 2024, federal funding may be used to purchase any available EV charging infrastructure that undergoes final assembly in the United States. Beginning in July 2024, federal funding may only be used for EV charging infrastructure that meets full Buy America compliance. Components of the EV charging infrastructure housing that are predominantly steel or iron must also be made in the United States, in effect as of March 2023. Revoking this waiver, as proposed by the CRA measure,   You can read a more in depth explanation about how this misguided measure would hurt U.S. manufacturing workers here.

In response to the passage, the BlueGreen Alliance released the following statement from Executive Director Jason Walsh:

“The FHWA’s waiver is an example of how carefully designed measures can be used to send strong market signals over time. This waiver helps us meet the needs of today’s EV drivers and build a robust domestic supply chain for the critical infrastructure of the future. That market signal is working. There are currently 49 planned and operational manufacturing facilities that will build EV chargers and components right here in the United States. Nine of these facilities were announced in the months since the waiver was finalized in March 2023.

“This resolution is not about supporting manufacturing workers. In fact, it does the exact opposite—it would loosen requirements for federally funded EV charging infrastructure, wrenching jobs away from the EV manufacturing workforce of today and tomorrow. We urge President Biden to veto this misguided resolution.”