WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has cancelled a $7.6 billion grant to support hundreds of clean energy projects in 16 states that voted for Democrat Kamala Harris in last year’s presidential election.
The cut was announced late Wednesday in a social media post by White House Budget Director Russell Vautt.
This move comes as president Donald Trump Threatening cuts and fire in his fight against Congressional Democrats Regarding federal government closures.
According to the environmental nonprofit Council for Natural Resources Defense, these cuts could affect battery plants, hydrogen technology projects, upgrades to electric grids, and carbon capture efforts.
The Energy sector said in a statement Thursday that 223 projects have been completed after the review determined that the country’s energy needs were not properly advanced or economically viable. The authorities did not provide details on which projects were being cut, but said funding was provided from the Clean Energy Demonstration office, the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office, and other DOE departments.
The cut includes $1.2 billion California hydrogen hub According to Gavin Newsom’s office, it aims to accelerate hydrogen technology and production. The private sector has committed $10 billion for hydrogen hubs, adding that cancelling the alliance for renewable clean hydrogen energy systems threatens more than 200,000 jobs, according to Newsom’s Office.
“Clean hydrogen deserves to be part of California’s energy future, creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs and saving billions of health costs,” the Democratic governor said.
California Democratic Senator Alex Padilla The project called “vindictive, shortsighted, evidence that this administration is not serious about American energy control.”
The DOE said it has reviewed the billions of dollars awarded by the Biden administration after Trump won the presidential election last November. More than a quarter of the withdrawn grants were awarded between Election Day and Inauguration Day, the department said. The award totaled over $3.1 billion.
“President Trump has committed to protecting taxpayer dollars and expanding America’s supply of affordable, reliable, safe energy. Today’s cancellations are based on that commitment,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said.
The Trump administration has proposed rolling back other greenhouse gas regulations that have broadly targeted climate programs and clean energy and say they cannot justify vehicle emissions or other greenhouse gas regulations. The Environmental Protection Agency proposes to overturn a 2009 discovery that climate change is a threat to public health. Many climate scientists They criticize EPA’s efforts as biased and misleading..
Democrats and environmental groups quickly slammed the latest cuts, saying they would increase energy costs.
“This is another blow to the clean energy needed to meet the Trump administration’s innovative technology, employment and surge in demand,” said Jackie Wong, senior vice president of NRDC.
Vought said it was being cut in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont and Washington.
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