The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection last Monday said it will allocate $46 million through fiscal 2027 for electric vehicle charging infrastructure to support the “strategic buildout” of e-vehicle infrastructure across the state.
“Expanding our robust network of public EV chargers will enable electrification of passenger vehicles as well as highly polluting medium-and heavy-duty vans and trucks,” Bonnie Heiple, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, said in a prepared statement.
The money will be used to implement recommendations of a report by the state Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Coordinating Council — which includes several state agencies — that calls for expanding EV charging infrastructure statewide, particularly along transportation corridors and for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.
But the investments come at a time of uncertainty for the EV market with President Donald Trump targeting the industry as part of his administration’s efforts to roll back the environmental policies of his predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden.
That includes ending federal tax incentives aimed at getting more people to dump their fossil fuel-powered cars and trucks for vehicles, which are set to expire next month.
In June, Trump signed resolutions undoing California’s 2024 landmark law that banned new gasoline-powered car sales by 2035 and revoked a federal waiver allowing the state to impose its own tailpipe emissions standards.
The move followed passage of a resolution in the Republican-controlled Congress authorizing Trump under the Congressional Review Act to rescind the Environmental Protection Agency’s waiver that allowed states, including Massachusetts, to implement the EV mandates.
The move drew legal challenges from the leaders of Massachusetts and other Democratic-led states and environmental groups who say the regulations are crucial to reducing air pollution, protecting public health and blunting the impact of climate change.
To be sure, Massachusetts and other states had already decided to delay enforcement of the e-vehicle sales mandate, with the rules outpacing market demand and the infrastructure needed to operate the vehicles.
In April, the state Department of Environmental Protection said it is allowing “enforcement discretion” for auto manufacturers unable to meet zero-emission vehicle sales requirements in the Advanced Clean Trucks regulation for 2025 and 2026 models. Enforcement will now begin with 2027 models.
Last year, MassDEP delayed implementation of the so-called Heavy-Duty Omnibus rule — which covered sales of large diesel trucks — until model year 2026, and carved out exemptions for state and local snow removal vehicles, municipal dump trucks, salt and sand spreaders, front–end loaders and street sweepers.
Critics of the green policies argue the standards are unreachable with existing electric-vehicle technology and have pointed to a lack of electric vehicle-charging stations and power grid capacity to handle the shift to zero emissions trucking.
Of states that are following California’s ban, none have met the 2026 target of 35% combined EV, fuel cell and PHEV sales, according to the latest federal data.
Automakers, auto associations and trucking groups are among those who praised Trump’s move to slam the brakes on EV mandates, saying the California-based standards were unreachable and hurt consumer choice.
Meanwhile, Massachusetts is required to cut its carbon footprint by 100% of 1990 levels by 2050 to comply with the Global Warming Solutions Act, a state law adopted years ago. At least 42% of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions come from vehicles, and the Healey administration is trying to reduce tailpipe pollution to help reach those climate change goals.
© 2025 the Gloucester Daily Times (Gloucester, Mass.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
