Trump Energy Dept Cuts: Leaked Docs Reveal Chaos
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* DOE Cancels clean energy Funding: The Department of Energy (DOE) has canceled approximately $7.5 billion in clean energy project awards.
* Not Just Renewables: While framed as a move to protect fossil fuels, the canceled projects weren’t solely focused on renewables. Some projects aimed to reduce methane emissions from oil and gas operations (like those awarded to Colorado State university and the Gas Technology Institute) and carbon capture/removal were also affected.
* Gas Technology Institute Impact: The Gas Technology Institute, which serves the natural gas industry, had $417 million in awards canceled (12 projects).
* Geographic disparity: States that voted for Kamala Harris in the last presidential election experienced the largest cuts. California lost $2.2 billion, and other states like Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oregon, and New York also saw significant losses. States that voted for Trump had much smaller cuts (single-digit millions).
* Large Project Example: A $467 million award to Minnesota, intended to upgrade the Midwest electrical grid and unlock 28 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity (solar and wind), was canceled.
* Complex Reasons: The reasons for the cancellations appear more nuanced than simply favoring fossil fuels. Factors like project location, partners involved, and project goals seem to be playing a role.