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Jeff Miller, (510) 499-9185
The Center for Biological
Diversity and two dozen other conservation and health groups today filed
emergency petitions with eight Midwestern and southern states, seeking to
end unsustainable commercial harvest of freshwater turtles. The coalition
submitted administrative petitions to state wildlife and health agencies in
Arkansas , Iowa,
Kentucky, Louisiana,
Missouri, Ohio,
South Carolina, and Tennessee, asking for a ban on
commercial harvest of freshwater turtles in all public and private waters.
The commercial-harvest regulations are needed to prevent further depletions
of native turtle populations and to protect public health. Freshwater
turtles collected in these states and sold domestically as food or exported
to international food markets are often contaminated with mercury, PCBs,
and pesticides.
"Unregulated
wildlife dealers are mining southern and midwestern streams for turtles for
the export trade, in a frenzy reminiscent of the gold rush," said
Jeff Miller, conservation advocate with the Center for Biological
Diversity. "Commercial collectors could harvest every non-protected
turtle that exists in the wild under the inadequate regulations that
currently exist in these states. Turtles are an important part of aquatic
ecosystems, and this unsustainable trade needs to be stopped."
Wildlife
exporters and dealers are commercially harvesting massive and unsustainable
numbers of wild freshwater turtles from southern and midwestern states that
continue to allow unlimited and unregulated take of turtles. The few turtle
surveys that have been conducted in southern and midwestern states show
depletions and extinction of freshwater turtles in many streams.
Herpetologists have reported drastic reductions in numbers and even the
disappearance of many southern map turtle species.
Harvests
and exports of wild turtles caught in the United States have skyrocketed.
Almost 200,000 wild turtles are trapped each year in Arkansas; one
collector alone takes more than 300 snapping turtles each year in Kentucky
for the pet trade; a single collector took 220 adult snapping turtles from
a single river in Louisiana in one year; another pet dealer buys 8,000 to
10,000 pounds per year of live wild adult snappers from trappers in
Louisiana; and a collector in Tennessee took more than 4,000 pounds of
common snapping turtles from a single reservoir in 2007. Commercial turtle
buyers in Oklahoma
reported purchasing almost 750,000 wild-caught turtles from 1994 to 1999.
More than a quarter million wild-caught adult turtles captured in Texas were exported from Dallas
Fort Worth Airport
alone to Asia for human consumption from
2002 to 2005.
The
coalition has now submitted regulatory petitions to every remaining
state in the United States that has unrestricted commercial harvest or
inadequate harvest regulations for freshwater turtles. In 2008 the
Center and allied groups petitioned Florida, Oklahoma, Georgia, and
Texas to ban commercial harvest of all native freshwater turtles in
those states. The petitions trigger a public rulemaking process in each
state. Texas has since prohibited commercial harvest from public
waters, but continues to allow unlimited harvest of some native turtle
species from streams and lakes on private lands. Oklahoma enacted a
three-year moratorium on commercial harvest of turtles from public
waters while studying the status of its wild turtle populations, the
effects of commercial harvest, and the potential contamination of
turtles sold as food. Florida imposed a temporary, 20 turtle-a-day
limit for commercial fishermen while it reviews harvest regulations.
The Georgia legislature is currently considering a bill on restrictions
to turtle harvest, based on recommendations by the Georgia Department
of Natural Resources.
The South Carolina state legislature is currently
considering a turtle harvest bill in the House, but it would allow
collectors to harvest up to 10 turtles at a time, with a maximum of 20
turtles per year - which would create an avenue for
illegal export of turtles from South
Carolina. A bill that would prohibit the sale,
barter, or trade of turtles is currently being considered by a subcommittee
in the Iowa
legislature.
The
petitioning groups are the Center for Biological Diversity, Center for
North American Herpetology, Center for Reptile and Amphibian Conservation
and Management, Center for Food Safety, Audubon Society of Central Arkansas
(AR), St. John's Riverkeeper (FL), Satilla Riverkeeper (GA), Altamaha
Riverkeeper (GA), Tallgrass Prairie Audubon Society (IA), Sierra Club,
Iowa Chapter (IA), Arkansas River Coalition (KS), Kentucky Heartwood
(KY), Gulf Restoration Network (LA), Ozark Rivers Chapter of the National
Audubon Society (MO), Miami Valley Audubon Society (OH), Western Cuyahoga
Audubon Society (OH), Oklahoma Chapter Sierra Club (OK), Charleston Chapter
Audubon Society (SC), Congaree Riverkeeper (SC), Tennessee Chapter Sierra
Club (TN), Tennessee Herpetological Society (TN), Tennessee Scenic Rivers
Association (TN), Save The Cumberland (TN), Lone Star Chapter Sierra Club
(TX), and Pineywoods Group Sierra Club (TX).
Most
wild turtles harvested in the United States
are exported to supply food markets in Asia, primarily China, where turtle consumption
rates have soared and as a result, most native freshwater turtles have been
driven to extinction in the wild. Importers are now turning to the United States
to meet demand. Turtles are sold to Asian seafood markets in the United States
as well. Many of these turtles are harvested from streams under state and
federal fish advisories and bans that caution against and prohibit human
consumption, due to aquatic contaminants that are carcinogenic or harmful
to humans such as DDT, PCBs, pesticides, mercury and other heavy metals.
Turtles live longer and bioaccumulate considerably greater amounts of
aquatic contaminants than fish, particularly snapping and softshell turtles
that burrow in contaminated sediments.
"Hundreds
of thousands of wild-caught turtles are sold locally as food or exported to
international food markets from these states each year, many contaminated
with dangerous levels of mercury, PCBs, and pesticides," said Miller.
"This food trade is completely unregulated, so the potential health
implications are staggering."
Because
freshwater turtles are long lived (some may reach 150 years of age), breed
late in life, and have low reproductive and survival rates, they are highly
vulnerable to overharvest. Removing even a few adults from a stream can
have a population effect lasting for decades, since each adult turtle
removed eliminates the reproductive potential over a breeding life that may
exceed 50 years. Stable turtle populations are dependent on sufficient long
lived breeding adults to offset natural mortality and human impacts.
Commercial collecting of wild turtles intensifies the effects of water
pollution, road mortality, incidental take from fishery devices, and
habitat loss, which are already contributing to turtle declines. Scientists
warn that freshwater turtles can not sustain any significant level of
harvest from the wild without leading to population crashes.
Adult
turtles, particularly map turtles and snapping turtles, are also harvested
from the wild to breed hatchlings in captivity for the international pet
trade. Turtle dealers solicit huge numbers of wild turtles from American
sources on the internet. A single dealer can employ a virtual army of hundreds
of interstate turtle collectors to conduct unlimited turtle harvest in
states where commercial harvest is still legal.
Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Missouri, Ohio,
South Carolina, and Tennessee continue to allow unlimited
commercial take of all sizes and ages of most species of native turtles,
using unlimited quantities of lethal hoopnets and box traps in public and
private waters. Although some of these states protect rarer turtle species,
many state and federally protected freshwater turtles are incidentally
harvested and sold since turtle traps do not distinguish the species
captured, and collectors often misidentify protected species captured in
traps that appear similar to non-protected turtles. Hoopnets and box traps
are lethal devices that also capture, maim, kill, and drown protected
turtle species, non-target fish, mammals, and migratory birds, and in some
areas, endangered species such as the federally threatened American
alligator.
State
wildlife agencies in Mississippi, North Carolina, and Alabama have prohibited commercial take
of wild freshwater turtles. North
Carolina closed all commercial harvest of aquatic
turtles after compiling one years worth of harvest data which showed the
removal of 28,000 wild caught turtles. Wildlife biologists from states with
bans have advised neighboring states to also ban harvest, since wildlife
traffickers illegally collect turtles in states where they are protected
and claim they were collected in states where harvest is still legal. Most
states do not survey to determine densities of turtle populations nor
require commercial collectors to report the quantity and species of turtles
harvested from the wild. Tennessee
is one of the only states that has conducted bioaccumulation analyses of
toxins in freshwater turtles, with disturbing results.
The
petitions and background information on the commercial harvest of
freshwater turtles can be found on the Center for Biological Diversity Web
site at:
www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/southern_and_midwestern_freshwater_turtles/index.html.
The
Center for Biological Diversity is a nonprofit
conservation organization with 200,000 members and online activists
dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.
State Turtle Harvest Information
Arkansas
Arkansas law allows turtle collectors to
deploy an unlimited number of box traps and hoopnets to harvest freshwater
turtles. Of the 16 species of turtles that occur in Arkansas, 11 aquatic species are
commercially harvested. Box turtles (genus Terrapene),
alligator snapping turtles (Macrochelys
temminckii), and chicken turtles (Deirochelys reticularia) are prohibited from harvest or
restricted possession in Arkansas.
The dominant commercial species in Arkansas
are the red-eared slider (Trachemys
scripta), which comprised 80% of total harvest, spiny softshell
(Apalone spinifera), and
common snapping turtle (Chelydra
serpentina). Map turtles are harvested in Arkansas for the pet trade. Mandatory
reporting of turtle harvests in Arkansas
by collectors only began in 2004. From 2004-2006, 589,382 aquatic turtles
were reported harvested by commercial collectors in Arkansas, an average of 196,460 turtles
per year. Turtles are harvested primarily from the Mississippi Delta
ecoregion. Commercial dealers are attempting to open additional waters in Arkansas to the use
of hoop nets, seeking to exploit previously unharvested populations as
demand goes up due to other state's turtle harvest restrictions. The
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission does not monitor health or population
trends of wild turtle populations.
Florida
In
September 2008, Florida
imposed a temporary, 20 turtle-a-day limit for commercial fishermen while
it reviews harvest regulations. The interim rules continue to allow turtle
harvest using hoopnets and inexplicably allow the possession of several
imperiled Florida turtle species such as alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminkcii), Escambia map
turtle (Graptemys escambia)
and Barbour's map turtle (Graptemys
barbouri). Herpetologists report drastic population depletions
and even extirpations of most southern map turtle species, in Florida, especially
in the panhandle. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is
undertaking a year-long study of freshwater turtles. Florida already prohibits harvest of
river cooters, soft-shell turtles and their eggs during the early summer,
which is nesting season. Florida
in the past has not monitored the health or population trends of wild
turtle populations, kept track of numbers of turtles harvested each year,
or required commercial harvesters to report their take. The U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service reports 3,000 pounds of freshwater turtles are exported
from Miami
per week, and one Broward seafood firm purchases about 15,000 pounds of
native softshells weekly. Florida Governor Charlie Crist has publicly supported
a complete ban on wild turtle harvest.
Georgia
The Georgia
legislature is currently considering a bill on restrictions to turtle
harvest, based on recommendations by the Georgia Department of Natural
Resources. Harvest is currently unregulated for 13 out of 14 native
freshwater turtle species in Georgia. Except for the Chattahoochee River
between Georgia and Alabama, the Georgia
Department of Natural Resources allows unlimited commercial harvest of
freshwater turtles using an unlimited quantity of hoopnets. Georgia
does not require collectors to report the quantity, species, harvest locale
or destination of captured turtles. Georgia protects the Bog turtle
(Glyptemys muhlenbergii ) as
Endangered and the Barbour's map turtle (Graptemys barbouri) and alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) as Threatened.
Numerous herpetologists have reported drastic population depletions and
even extirpation of most southern map turtle species from Georgia.
Iowa
Iowa allows commercial turtle collectors
to legally take an unlimited number of common snapping turtles, softshell
turtles and painted turtles with a commercial turtle license using an
unlimited number of hoopnets and boxtraps. Nonresident dealers can only
take these three species from the Missouri,
Mississippi and Bog Sioux
Rivers. Iowa law prohibits
the harvest of rare turtle species including alligator snapping turtles (Macrochelys temmickii), chicken
turtles (Deirochelys reticularia)
and Blanding's turtles (Emydoidea
blandingii). However, these species overlap in range with
non-protected turtles in Iowa
and are caught in baited traps set by commercial collectors. Trappers often
can not distinguish alligator snappers from common snappers and coin both
species simply as "snappers" or "loggerheads." To
the untrained eye chicken turtles are strikingly similar in appearance to
red eared sliders and river cooters. Collectors who can distinguish these
species and who realize their high value for the international pet trade
may purposely harvest and portray them as common snappers and red eared
sliders and sell these to dealers in states where their commerce is legal.
The largest known Midwest state dealer of common snapping turtles has
operated in Iowa
for more than thirty years. Iowa does not
track the amount of turtles harvested from Iowa waters and the Iowa Department of
Natural Resources does not monitor health or population trends of wild
turtle populations. A bill that would prohibit the sale, barter, or trade
of turtles is currently being considered by a subcommittee in the Iowa legislature.
Kentucky
Kentucky law allows turtle collectors to
deploy an unlimited number of box traps and hoopnets to harvest common
snapping and softshell turtles. Kentucky
does not have data on freshwater turtle harvest levels. A commercial turtle
operation is known to occur on Reelfoot
Lake in western Kentucky;
and a single collector of more than thirty years captures common snapping
turtles from private stock ponds in intensive agricultural areas in western
Kentucky,
and can capture over 330 turtles in one year. Kentucky law prohibits the harvest of
rare turtle species including alligator snapping turtles (Macrochelys temmickii) and chicken
turtles (Deirochelys reticularia).
However, these species overlap in range with non-protected turtles in Kentucky and are
caught in baited traps set by commercial collectors. Trappers often can not
distinguish alligator snappers from common snappers and coin both species
simply as "loggerheads." To the untrained eye chicken turtles
are strikingly similar in appearance to red eared sliders and river
cooters. Collectors who can distinguish these species and who realize their
high value for the international pet trade may purposely harvest and
portray them as common snappers and red eared sliders and sell these to
dealers in states where their commerce is legal. Kentucky Fish and Game
Department does not monitor health or population trends of wild turtle
populations.
Louisiana
Louisiana law allows unlimited commercial
harvest of 24 native freshwater turtle species and allows turtle collectors
to deploy an unlimited number of box traps and hoopnets to harvest
freshwater turtles. Louisiana
prohibits harvest of two federally protected map turtle species (Graptemys oculifera and G. flavimaculata). However, illegal
harvest of these two endangered map turtles occurs to meet the demands of a
black market turtle trade.
Until 2004, Louisiana
was the last state that allowed unlimited commercial harvest of alligator
snapping turtles. Harvest of wild adult alligator snappers in Louisiana
intensified in the mid 1990s through 2004 to facilitate trophy adult males
for the zoo and aquarium exhibit industry and to breed hatchlings for the
international pet trade. For example, in 2000 an estimated 220 adult snappers
were taken from the Ouachita River by a single collector to breed and sell
hatchlings to buyers abroad; and another pet dealer from Missouri
estimated buying 8,000-10,000 pounds per year live weight of adult snappers
from trappers in Louisiana.
Due to harvest pressures, Louisiana
prohibited unlimited commercial harvest of alligator snapping turtles in
2004, but allows "recreational take" of one alligator snapping
turtle per day.
Although
Louisiana
is the heart of the turtle industry and conservation groups and
herpetologists have long recommended banning all turtle harvest, collectors
are not required to report the quantity of turtles captured, species,
harvest locale, or destination of captured turtles. Louisiana Department of
Wildlife and Fisheries statewide population surveys from 1996 to 2001 show
severely depleted populations and extirpations of alligator snapping
turtles from areas that once supported substantial populations, consistent
with surveys by herpetologists in 1994, 1988, and 2002. The depletions of
alligator snapping turtles are bioindicators of population levels and
diversity of other commercially sought turtle species (common snapper,
softshell, red ear, cooter and map turtles) in the surveyed areas. Louisiana trappers also report population depletions
and because of this Louisiana turtle
dealers are soliciting commercial numbers of turtles as far away as South Carolina.
Missouri
Missouri law allows turtle collectors to
deploy an unlimited number of box traps and hoopnets to harvest freshwater
turtles. Collectors may harvest an unlimited number of common snapping
turtles and spiny and smooth softshell turtles in three major watersheds:
the Missouri River, Mississippi River, and St. Francis
River. However, collectors are not required to report the
date, species or quantity of turtles captured or stream and county where
harvest occurred. Missouri
law prohibits the harvest of rare turtle species including alligator
snapping turtles (Macrochelys temmickii),
and chicken turtles (Deirochelys
reticularia). However, these species overlap in range with
non-protected turtles in Missouri
and are caught in baited traps set by commercial collectors. Trappers often
can not distinguish alligator snappers from common snappers and coin both
species simply as "loggerheads." To the untrained eye chicken
turtles are strikingly similar in appearance to red eared sliders and river
cooters. Collectors who can distinguish these species and who realize their
high value for the international pet trade may purposely harvest and
portray them as common snappers and red eared sliders and sell these to
dealers in states where their commerce is legal. Alligator snapping turtle
population surveys from the boot heel of Missouri show depleted and extirpated
population, which may indicate relatively low densities of other turtle
species. Studies funded by the Missouri Department of Conservation describe
grave concern for depleted turtle populations resulting from incidental
mortality from commercial fishing nets that are commonly deployed in Missouri.
Ohio
Ohio
law allows turtle collectors to deploy an unlimited number of box traps and
hoopnets to harvest freshwater turtles, and allows unlimited commercial
harvest of common snapping turtles (Chelydraserpentina),
smooth softshell turtles (Apalone
spinifera) and spiny softshell turtles (Apalone mutica). Ohio does not require collectors to
report the number or species of turtles taken from the wild. Ohio prohibits the
harvest of rare turtle species including wood turtles (Clemmys insculpta), chicken turtles (Deirochelys reticularia), spotted
turtles (Clemmys guttata) and
Blanding's turtles (Emydoidea
blandingii). However, these species overlap in range with
snapping turtles and softshell turtles are caught in baited traps set by
commercial collectors. Trappers often do not distinguish common snappers
from chicken, spotted or Blanding's turtles and coin all species
simply as "snappers" or "stripernecks." To the
untrained eye chicken turtles are strikingly similar in appearance to red
eared sliders and river cooters. Collectors who can distinguish these
species and who realize their high value for the international pet trade
may purposely harvest and portray them as common snappers and sell these to
dealers in states where their commerce is legal. The Ohio Department of
Natural Resources does not monitor health or population trends of wild
turtle populations.
Oklahoma
In
May 2008 the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission enacted a three-year
moratorium on commercial harvest of turtles from all public waters, but
allowed continued harvest in private waters. During the moratorium, the
Department of Wildlife Conservation will study the status of Oklahoma's
wild turtle populations, the effects of commercial harvest, and the potential
contamination of turtles sold as food with heavy metals and pesticides. The
Commission also requested Department of Wildlife Conservation staff to
further explore the potential need to close all waters, including private
waters, to harvest. Recent surveys by Oklahoma
State University
show depletions and extinction of freshwater turtles in many Oklahoma streams.
Commercial turtle buyers in Oklahoma
reported purchasing almost 750,000 wild-caught turtles from 1994 to 1999.
The Commission resolution noted that 92 commercial turtle harvesters
reported trapping 63,814 wild turtles in Oklahoma in 2007.
South
Carolina
South Carolina law allows turtle collectors to
deploy an unlimited number of box traps and hoopnets to harvest freshwater turtles,
and allows unlimited harvest of common snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) from streams
draining into the Atlantic Ocean. South Carolina does
not require collectors to report the quantity of turtles harvested. South Carolina
prohibits the harvest of rare turtle species including chicken turtles (Deirochelys reticularia), spotted
turtles (Clemmys guttata) and
federally protected bog turtles (Glyptemys
muhlenbergii). However, the chicken and spotted turtles overlap
in range with snapping turtles in South Carolina
and streams draining into the Atlantic and
are caught in baited traps set by commercial collectors. Trappers often do
not distinguish common snappers from chicken and spotted turtles and coin
both species simply as "snappers" or "stripernecks."
To the untrained eye chicken turtles are strikingly similar in appearance
to red eared sliders and river cooters. Collectors who can distinguish
these species and who realize their high value for the international pet
trade may purposely harvest and portray them as common snappers and red
eared sliders and sell these to dealers in states where their commerce is
legal. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources does not monitor
health or population trends of wild turtle populations. The South Carolina state legislature is currently
considering a turtle harvest bill in the House, but it would allow
collectors to harvest up to 10 turtles at a time, with a maximum of 20
turtles per year - which would create an avenue for
illegal export of turtles from South
Carolina.
Tennessee
In
the mid 1990s the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency prohibited commercial
harvest of most turtle species throughout the majority of the state, after
law enforcement reported encountering resident and nonresident turtle collectors
in Tennessee who worked for large scale
turtle export turtle dealers in Louisiana
and Arkansas.
However unlimited harvest is still allowed for eleven turtle species from
three Tennessee counties along the
Mississippi River surrounding Reelfoot
Lake in northwest Tennessee. In Lake, Obion, and Dyer counties snapping turtles, map
turtles, soft-shell turtles, river cooters, western painted turtles,
red-eared sliders, common mud turtles, and common musk turtles may continue
to be taken commercially in unlimited quantities. Collectors may also
harvest an unlimited number of common snapping turtles over 12 inches from
any water that is open to commercial harvest. Tennessee law allows turtle collectors
to deploy an unlimited number of box traps and hoopnets to harvest
freshwater turtles. Commercial harvesters must report their monthly
harvest. Tennessee
prohibits the harvest of rare turtle species including alligator snapping
turtles (Macrochelys temmickii)
and chicken turtles (Deirochelys
reticularia). However, these species overlap in range with
non-protected turtles in Tennessee
and are caught in baited traps set by commercial collectors. Trappers often
can not distinguish alligator snappers from common snappers and coin both
species simply as "loggerheads." To the untrained eye chicken
turtles are strikingly similar in appearance to red eared sliders and river
cooters. Collectors who can distinguish these species and who realize their
high value for the international pet trade may purposely harvest and portray
them as common snappers and red eared sliders and sell these to dealers in
states where their commerce is legal.
Tennessee is one of the only states in the
nation that has conducted bioaccumulation analyses of snapping turtles
muscle tissue, fat tissue and eggs. Sample results from the 1990s showed
high levels of pesticides, PCBs, heavy metals and mercury in snapping
turtles beyond permissible FDA guideline thresholds that were safe for
consumption. This study was published in 1997, yet it remains legal in Tennessee to
commercially harvest snapping turtles from known contaminated areas to be
sold as food. Since 2007, fear of harvest moratoriums in neighboring states
where commercial harvest is legal may have intensified harvest pressure in Tennessee,
especially in streams that are not known to have been trapped. For example,
in 2007 TWRA law enforcement engaged a nonresident collector with more than
4,000 pounds of common snapping turtle harvested from Old Hickory Reservoir
in Davidson County. The turtles were to be sold
to an exporter in an undisclosed state.
Texas
In
2007 the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission voted to end
commercial harvest of turtles in public waters in Texas, but continued to allow unlimited
harvest of some native turtle species from streams and lakes on private
lands. A petition was submitted in 2008 to the Texas Department of Health
to ban all commercial turtle harvest in Texas, including on private lands, due
to significant public-health risk from consumption of contaminated turtles.
Over a quarter million wild-caught adult turtles captured in Texas were exported from Dallas
Fort Worth Airport
to Asia for human consumption from 2002 to
2005. A major Texas turtle dealer employs
an interstate network of 450 collectors that harvest turtles from Texas and other
southern states where unlimited harvest is allowed or harvest is
inadequately regulated.
At the Center for Biological Diversity, we believe that the welfare of human beings is deeply linked to nature — to the existence in our world of a vast diversity of wild animals and plants. Because diversity has intrinsic value, and because its loss impoverishes society, we work to secure a future for all species, great and small, hovering on the brink of extinction. We do so through science, law and creative media, with a focus on protecting the lands, waters and climate that species need to survive.
(520) 623-5252"Freezing these EV charging funds is yet another one of the Trump administration's unsound and illegal moves," said one climate advocate.
Climate campaigners are blasting the Trump administration's move to halt a $5 billion initiative to build electric vehicle chargers along highways across the United States and calling on Congress to fight back against the attack on the grant program from the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law.
The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program was established by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Natural Resources Defense Council's Beth Hammon said in a Friday statement that "on a bipartisan basis, Congress funded this program to build a new vehicle charging network nationwide. The Trump administration does not have the authority to halt it capriciously."
Hammon, a senior vehicle charging advocate at the group, warned that "stopping funding midstream will result in chaos and delays in states across the nation. It will throw state efforts into turmoil, wreak havoc with the companies that install the chargers, and risk the jobs of their workers. The only winner from this chaos is the oil industry."
"This should not stand. Courts have already blocked the Trump administration's other illegal attempts to halt legally mandated funding," she added. "Congress needs to stand up for itself: This move and many others from the Trump administration steals away its constitutionally established spending authority."
Katherine García, director of the Sierra Club's Clean Transportation for All campaign, similarly declared Friday that "freezing these EV charging funds is yet another one of the Trump administration's unsound and illegal moves. This is an attack on bipartisan funding that Congress approved years ago and is driving investment and innovation in every state, with Texas as the largest beneficiary."
"Throwing out states' plans, which were carefully built together with business, utilities, and communities, only hurts America's growing clean energy economy," she stressed. "The NEVI program has helped the U.S. build out the infrastructure needed to support our nation's necessary transition to pollution-free vehicles. More electric vehicle charging means better public health, reduced climate emissions, good-paying green jobs, and healthier communities."
President Donald Trump has taken various anti-climate actions since Inauguration Day—declaring a "national energy emergency," ditching the Paris agreement again, and enabling new liquefied natural gas exports. One executive order calls for "terminating the Green New Deal," and directs agencies to pause disbursement of funds appropriated through the Inflation Reduction Act and the 2021 law, specifically mentioning the NEVI program.
Trump targeted the initiative despite his ties to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, head of the president's destructive Department of Government Efficiency. Wiredreported that the billionaire's "electric automobile company has been a recipient of $31 million in awards from the NEVI program, according to a database maintained by transportation officials, accounting for 6% of the money awarded so far."
The Federal Highway Administration on Thursday sent a letter—first reported by InsideEVs—informing state transportation departments that "the new leadership of the Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) has decided to review the policies underlying the implementation of the NEVI Formula Program," and, as a result, "is also immediately suspending the approval of all" state deployment plans previously greenlit by the Biden administration.
As Heatmapdetailed:
According to Paren, an EV charging data analytics firm that has been closely following the rollout of the NEVI program, states are legally entitled to spend roughly $3.27 billion on NEVI. That accounts for plans approved for fiscal years 2022 through 2025. To date, states have awarded about $615 million of the funds to just under 1,000 projects—with 10% of those projects being led by Tesla.
The letter says states will still be able to get reimbursed for expenses related to previously awarded projects, "in order to not disrupt current financial commitments." But the more than $2.6 billion that has not been awarded will be frozen.
The outlet noted that advocates expected Trump's attacks on the program won't survive legal challenges.
"This should be carefully scrutinized by states and the legal community," said Justin Balik, the senior state program director for Evergreen Action, "as it looks like an attempt to sabotage the program based on ideology that's dressed up in bureaucratic language about plan and guidance revisions."
Andrew Rogers, a former deputy administrator and chief counsel of the Federal Highway Administration, told Wired that "there is no legal basis for funds that have been apportioned to states to build projects being 'decertified' based on policy."
Paren chief analyst Loren McDonald also doesn't think that the Trump administration can legally suspend the program.
"I'm assuming the lawsuits from states will start soon, and this will go to court and Congress," McDonald toldPolitico. "But the Trump [administration] will succeed in just causing havoc and slowing things down for a while."
Already, Alabama, Oklahoma, Missouri, Rhode Island, Ohio, and Nebraska have put their NEVI programs on hold.
Whether Congress—particuarly Democrats, who are the minority party in both chambers—will fight back is unclear. Hill Heat's Brad Johnson pointed out on the social media platform Bluesky that two dozen members of the Senate Democratic Caucus voted with Republicans to confirm Trump's DOT chief, Sean Duffy.
After 24 Senate Democrats joined all GOP to confirm climate denier Sean Duffy as Transportation Secretary, he illegally called for the shut down of the National Electric Vehicle Charging Program, established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
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— Brad Johnson ( @climatebrad.hillheat.com) February 6, 2025 at 11:36 PM
As Common Dreamsreported last month, right after Duffy was confirmed, the secretary directed DOT staff to immediately begin the process of rescinding or replacing former President Joe Biden's clean car pollution standards.
"These commonsense, popular fuel economy standards save drivers money at the pump and reduce dangerous pollution from vehicles," Sierra Club's García said at the time. "Sean Duffy is selling American families out to Big Oil, burdening us with higher fuel prices and more polluting gas-guzzlers that harm our health."
"Frankly, there is zero harm to the government," in a pause, said the Trump-appointed federal judge, who pressed administration lawyers to prove their claims of USAID fraud and corruption.
A federal judge said Friday that he would issue a "very limited" pause on the Trump administration's midnight deadline for the U.S. Agency for International Development to place thousands of agency staff on leave.
Judge Carl Nichols of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia—an appointee of President Donald Trump—said he would approve a limited temporary restraining order preventing 2,200 USAID employees from being put on administrative leave at midnight. Nichols also said he would decide whether the 500 workers who have already been placed on leave will be reinstated.
"They should not put those 2,200 people on administrative leave tonight," Nichols said, according toThe Hill.
BREAKING: Federal judge temporarily blocks Trump administration from placing 2,000+ USAID workers on leave as litigation continues.
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— Democracy Docket ( @democracydocket.com) February 7, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Nichols' move came in response to claims by two unions—the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) and American Federation of Government Employees—that their members would suffer "irreparable harm" as a result of Trump's order. The unions said that the effort led by the Trump administration and unelected Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) head Elon Musk constitutes an "ongoing, illegal scheme to gut" USAID.
"This is not something the president can unilaterally do," Karla Gilbride, an attorney representing the unions, told Nichols during a Friday hearing.
Nichols said that "frankly, there is zero harm to the government" from a temporary pause. The judge pressed Trump administration attorneys to show proof of their claims of widespread fraud and corruption within USAID, which provides foreign aid and development assistance but also has a dubious history of funding subversion, drug trafficking, forced sterilization, Central American death squads, and torture during its 64-year existence.
Musk—whose DOGE has locked USAID employees out of internal systems and recalled thousands of personnel to the U.S. in recent days—has promoted conspiracy theories about the agency. Earlier this week, he posted on his X social media platform that it's "time for it to die."
Trump posted Friday on his Truth Social online platform: "USAID IS DRIVING THE RADICAL LEFT CRAZY, AND THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO ABOUT IT BECAUSE THE WAY IN WHICH THE MONEY HAS BEEN SPENT, SO MUCH OF IT FRAUDULENTLY, IS TOTALLY UNEXPLAINABLE. THE CORRUPTION IS AT LEVELS RARELY SEEN BEFORE. CLOSE IT DOWN!"
Responding to Nichols' reprieve, AFSA president Tom Yazdgerdi said in a statement that "this ruling is a crucial first step in halting a reckless assault on USAID and in supporting the dedicated professionals who serve our country."
"We will continue to fight to protect the professionals who advance America's values and leadership abroad," Yazdgerdi added.
Lauren Bateman, an attorney with Public Citizen Litigation Group, said that "tonight's ruling proves temporary relief for the over 2,000 workers set to be put on leave by the Trump administration. It is a step forward in our fight against the unconstitutional and illegal attempt to break the back of USAID."
"Trump and Musk's attempt to disrupt aid around the world is unfathomably cruel, and the ruling tonight pumps the brakes on the destruction of a vital tool of humanitarian relief and American diplomacy," Bateman added. "The Trump administration must abide by the ruling, or it risks catapulting the entire U.S. government into chaos."
"It sounds like the plot of a bad Bond movie but it's real and the American people are the real victims."
Consumer advocates on Friday called on allies to defend the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau from the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency after reports indicated DOGE personnel had entered the agency's office and possibly obtained access to its online databases.
Members of the CFPB Union NTEU 335, part of the National Treasury Employees Union, published a press release, later deleted from their website, noting that the names of three staffers of DOGE appeared in the consumer protection agency's internal staff directory Thursday evening—signaling that the CFPB is the latest target of Musk's illegal plunder of numerous federal offices.
Numerous outlets—includingWired and Punchbowl News—confirmed that the DOGE personnel had been granted access to CFPB offices and databases. Politico, citing people familiar with the developments, also reported the three individuals had been added as "senior advisers" to the agency.
The CFPB Union, in the now-deleted statement, identified the DOGE staffers as former Big Pharma lobbyist Chris Young; former Tesla and X employee Nikhil Rajpal; and Gavin Kliger, an "Elon fanboy" who graduated from University of California, Berkeley in 2020.
"When he's not stealing Americans' private information with DOGE, Kliger enjoys writing lengthy essays defending rapists and retweeting white supremacists," said the union's statement, citing the staffer's Substack where he has written positively about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), both accused of sexual abuse. "Kliger's lawyer daddy works at Experian, which is the same company CFPB sued in January for covering up errors on credit reports with sham investigations."
"CFPB Union members welcome our newest colleagues and look forward to the smell of Axe Body Spray in our elevators."
The union further mocked Kliger's "alleged" coding career and said that in contrast to the "zero to three git commits" he made in the last year, "workers at the CFPB returned $1.3 billion to scammed Americans in that time."
"CFPB Union members welcome our newest colleagues and look forward to the smell of Axe Body Spray in our elevators," said the workers.
"While acting Director [Scott] Bessent allows Musk's operatives to bypass cybersecurity policies and wreak havoc with their amateur code skills inside CFPB's once-secure systems, CFPB Union members fight to protect our jobs so we can continue protecting Americans from scammers with conflicts of interest like Musk," they said.
According to Wired's reporting:
In an email early Friday morning, CFPB staff were told that several people from DOGE—including [Rajpal, Kliger, and Young]—entered the agency building Thursday evening. The email stated that they would require access to CFPB data, systems, and equipment, following a message sent Thursday by CFPB chief operating officer Adam Martinez confirming that the DOGE employees were to receive "read-only access."
"DOGE arrived tonight and will be back tomorrow. They are going to need read-only access to our HR (HR Connect/NFC), procurement (PRISM), and finance (Discoverer) system," said Martinez. "I let them know that we utilize BFS/ARC so if they already have access, then they should be able to pull our data. Otherwise, if they do not have access to BFS/ARC, then we will need to work with them to fill out the necessary forms to gain access." BFS/ARC is the Bureau of the Fiscal Service's Administrative Resource Center, which provides administrative services, like timekeeping travel days or benefits, for a number of government agencies.
Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich noted that DOGE's targeting of the CFPB comes days after Trump dismissed former Director Rohit Chopra.
"American's financial privacy and safety [is] at risk as DOGE arrives at CFPB," said the Center for Digital Democracy, in response to various reporting. "The CFPB has saved American taxpapers and consumers billions... Undermining American financial security must be stopped."
In recent days, DOGE employees have arrived at the Departments of Labor, Education, and the Treasury, among other federal agencies, seizing access to data about millions of Americans, setting up illegal servers, and placing employees on administrative leave.
The White House and Musk have claimed the effort is aimed at reducing "waste" and improving "efficiency" within government, but comments from U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) this week signaled the administration is searching for ways to slash spending for numerous public services in the interest of extending the 2017 tax cuts for the wealthiest earners.
The union suggested Musk wants to take over the CFPB, which he called to "delete" late last year, to clear the way for a partnership between his social media platform, X, and Visa. The credit card company wants to offer payments on the platform, and "notably, the CFPB recently obtained the authority to supervise major payment apps," said the NTEU.
Earlier this week, DOGE staffers arrived at the Department of Labor, which has filed multiple complaints against Musk's companies.
"The world's richest man just dispatched his minions to root around the systems of a government watchdog responsible for policing payment schemes like the one just announced for his own company," Emily Peterson-Cassin, corporate power director of the Demand Progress Education Fund, said in response to the union's account. "It sounds like the plot of a bad Bond movie but it's real and the American people are the real victims."
"Musk’s dreams of an 'everything app' that reaches into people's bank accounts paired with his sweeping, unchecked access to the levers of government opens up the potential for breathtaking corruption," said Peterson-Cassin. "His intrusion into CFPB systems also sends a clear message that he has no interest whatsoever in policing his own conflicts of interest. Musk must be stopped from dismantling the very mechanisms of the federal government that can prevent him from looting the American people."