a woman standing next to a blue electric vehicle being charged.

Trump administration must release EV charger funds, judge rules in federal lawsuit

A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to resume distributing electric vehicle charger funds to 14 states, ruling it overstepped by freezing money approved by Congress in 2021.

Sudhin Thanawala and Sophie Austin report for The Associated Press.

In short:

U.S. District Judge Tana Lin ruled that the Trump administration unlawfully paused disbursement of EV charger funding approved under the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, requiring it to release funds to 14 states.
Sixteen states and Washington, D.C., sued over the halted funding; D.C., Minnesota, and Vermont were excluded from the injunction due to insufficient proof of harm.
The $5 billion program aims to build a nationwide EV charging network, but Trump’s pause in February disrupted planning, construction, and reimbursement for many state projects.

Key quote:

“When the Executive Branch treads upon the will of the Legislative Branch, and when an administrative agency acts contrary to law, it is the Court’s responsibility to remediate the situation and restore the balance of power.”

— Tana Lin, U.S. District Judge

Why this matters:

The shift to electric vehicles is central to U.S. climate strategy and reducing tailpipe pollution, one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Building a robust public charging network is key to easing range anxiety and boosting EV adoption, especially in rural and lower-income areas. Delays in funding not only threaten construction jobs and state-level climate planning, but also slow momentum in transitioning away from gasoline-powered cars. Without clear federal support, private investment may stall, compounding logistical issues like grid upgrades and permitting. Political interference with legally approved climate infrastructure creates significant uncertainty in the nation’s environmental policy direction, with broad implications for public health and air quality.

Learn more: Trump administration sued by 17 states over frozen funds for electric vehicle charging network

apnews.com

A residential garbage can overflows with plastic bottles and other waste.

Credit: the blowup/Unsplash

New pricing system helps small town slash its garbage output

When Plympton, Massachusetts started charging by the bag for trash, it nearly halved the town’s garbage — and saved thousands of dollars in the process.

Tik Root reports for Grist.

In short:

Plympton cut its annual trash output from 640 to 335 tons after shifting from a flat-fee dump sticker to a “pay-as-you-throw” model charging per bag.
The new pricing system incentivized recycling and composting, saving the town about $65,000 a year and reducing landfill-related emissions.
Nearly half of Massachusetts municipalities now use PAYT, and experts say volume-based pricing drives waste reduction without unfairly burdening small or low-income households.

Key quote:

“We found that demand for waste disposal was really responsive to price. If you raise the price of trash, people are going to find ways to not put as much out at the curb.”

— John Halstead, retired professor of environmental economics at the University of New Hampshire and an author of a study on New Hampshire's pay-as-you-throw model

Why this matters:

Less landfill use means fewer toxics in the air and water, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and more recycled materials in circulation. Plympton’s story shows that smart policy doesn’t have to be punitive or complicated — it just has to make people see the cost of their choices, and let common sense do the rest.

How a government feud threatens decades of scientific progress

The Trump administration’s move to cut off $2.6 billion in federal research funding to Harvard has upended a vital engine of American science, with ripple effects that reach far beyond a single university.

Emily Badger, Aatish Bhatia, and Ethan Singer report for The New York Times.

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