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Commission hears executive‑order pause affects IRA/IIJA funding reviews; $30M CFI fast‑charging funds unlikely to be available to Bedford’s preselected sites
Summary
Commissioners were briefed that a newly issued executive order has paused contracting, environmental reviews and disbursements for projects funded under the Inflation Reduction Act and IIJA while awards undergo administrative review, and they heard that a state fast‑charging grant round has most available funds already tied to preselected sites.
Commissioners were briefed on two separate federal developments that could affect local projects: (1) an executive order that halts further contracting, environmental reviews and disbursements for projects funded under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) while awards are reviewed, and (2) the structure of a state fast‑charging infrastructure (CFI) grant round that already assigns most available funding to pre‑selected sites.
The executive order: A commission member read an update from James (absent) stating that an executive order had paused “all further contracting, environmental reviews, and disbursements for projects funded under the IRA and IIJA” and that federal agencies will conduct a review of awards for alignment with the executive order. The commission recorded that this pause is expected to last at least 90 days while legal and administrative review occurs; the order is new and subject to further legal processes.
Commissioners were concerned about the pause’s effect on the Bedford solar project if the timeline slips into 2026, because losing IRA‑linked incentives could materially increase project costs. Staff and commissioners noted the pause is a recent development and that outcomes will be subject to court and administrative processes.
CFI fast‑charging grant update: The commission also heard a summary of a roughly $30 million CFI (charging and fueling infrastructure) program. The commission was told the program’s third wave depends on leftover funds after preselected, higher‑priority sites across the state are funded; the preselected budget of roughly $15 million is already associated with specific sites. Commissioners said Bedford—specifically the 101 corridor near Bedford Village Shops and a site on South River Road—is on the state list but that the preselected deployments for this wave are unlikely to leave sufficient leftover funds for additional discretionary sites.
Ending: The commission recorded that both developments—pause on IRA/IIJA disbursements and the structure of the CFI grants—merit monitoring. Staff will flag updates for the commission as the executive‑order review and federal/state grant determinations proceed.
