The final week leading up to Donald Trump’s inauguration featured a flurry of activity in the world of transportation decarbonization.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration announced $635 million in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding for electric vehicle charging and hydrogen fueling stations across 27 states and D.C., K Kaufmann reported. 

The grants included $55.9 million for the California Energy Commission, $15 million for D.C., $15 million for Minnesota’s Metropolitan Council, $8 million for the Louisville-Jefferson County Metro Government in Kentucky and a $24.8 million award to the Port Authority of Houston. However, the fate of the awards will lie with the Trump administration, which has pledged to claw back all unspent dollars from the IIJA and Inflation Reduction Act. 

On Jan. 13, the California Air Resources Board withdrew its waiver request to EPA for approval to ban diesel truck sales after 2035, along with its waiver requests related to its In-Use Locomotive standard, Commercial Harbor Craft and Ocean-Going Vessels At-Berth regulation, and Transport Refrigeration Unit Engine standards, Elaine Goodman reported. 

CARB said it pulled its requests out of anticipation of the incoming Trump administration’s opposition to the state’s emissions policies. In December, EPA approved a CARB waiver allowing regulations requiring manufacturers to provide an increasing percentage of zero-emission cars for sale each year, as well as waivers relating to emission standards for small off-road engines and Commercial Harbor Craft and Transport Refrigeration Unit Engine regulations. 

Elaine also covered a new report indicating that California lost three hydrogen fueling stations in 2024, casting doubt on the state’s ability to meet its goal to deploy 200 stations by 2025. The loss of progress was partly because of Shell’s decision to close seven fueling stations in the state “due to hydrogen supply complications and other external market factors.” 

Fueling station developers have pointed to high inflation rates, low credit values from the Low-Carbon Fuel Standard program, the small size of the hydrogen refueling industry, and labor shortages as the key barriers to scaling up the state’s hydrogen fueling infrastructure. 

In international news, Norway is on track to be the first nation to phase out the sale of new fossil fuel vehicles, with EVs accounting for nine out of 10 new vehicles sold in the country in 2024. The country’s success is attributed to long-term, predictable policies, which include taxes and fees on fossil vehicles and incentives for EVs. The country also has a strong charging network, which has made the transition easier for many consumers. 

All that and more in this week’s Intelligence Report: