House Democrats are questioning why the Department of Energy awarded $18.5 million to a political ally of President Donald Trump to build the nation’s first new coal plant in more than a decade in West Virginia.
Rep. Sean Casten of Illinois and more than a dozen of his colleagues asked Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Monday how the agency vetted a loan for Alex Phillips, who is pushing to develop a 1.6 gigawatt plant. DOE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The lawmakers cited POLITICO’s reporting showing that Phillips has no energy experience but made a name for himself within the MAGA movement through his American Priority Conference.
“The decision to award funds to a political ally for a utility-scale generation project represents a major step backward for the stability and affordability of our electric grid and sets a dangerous precedent for more politically influenced deals that will jeopardize progress towards building an electric grid that supports a thriving U.S. economy,” the Democrats wrote in a letter.
