NATSO, representing truck stops, travel centers, and off-highway fuel retailers, along with SIGMA: America’s Leading Fuel Marketers and the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), expressed strong opposition to the RECHARGE Act, introduced by Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.). The bill would amend federal law to allow automotive services, including EV charging, at state-operated rest areas—a change the groups warn would undermine decades of private investment and competition.
For nearly 70 years, federal law has prohibited the sale of fuel, food, and other services at rest areas to promote competition at interstate exits. This framework has spurred the growth of restaurants, convenience stores, truck stops, hotels, and other businesses that serve highway travelers. Allowing EV charging at rest areas, the groups argue, would create an uneven playing field by enabling states to compete directly with private businesses without the same financial pressures. “The RECHARGE Act will not boost the number of EV charging stations available to drivers but rather will inject a nationwide hurdle that discourages the development of a safe and reliable EV charging network,” said David Fialkov, Executive Vice President of Government Affairs for NATSO and SIGMA. “Rather than upending policies designed to further the deployment of EV charging stations, we encourage lawmakers to reject any proposals that inhibit private sector EV charging initiatives and instead enact policies that catalyze fuel retailers who remain committed to building out a safe, reliable network of EV charging stations.”
“EV drivers should have competitive places to recharge just like we have competitive places to refuel,” said Matt Durand, Deputy General Counsel for NACS. “If we commercialize rest areas, it will undermine the dynamics that have helped build a refueling network and permanently put EV charging at a disadvantage – exactly the opposite of what the proponents of this bill want.”
The opposition comes as the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) issues Interim Final Guidance on EV charging infrastructure, emphasizing consumer-oriented site selection and encouraging public-private collaboration. Fuel retailers welcomed the Administration’s flexible approach, which directs public funds toward locations best equipped to deliver reliable, well-maintained charging services.
