The Trump administration’s actions to terminate more than $7.5 billion in energy grants in blue states — pitched by officials as a strike against the “Left’s climate agenda”— is poised to hit more than two dozen Republican districts.
Just last month, Rep. Gabe Evans (R-Colo.) toured United Power’s Mountain Peak natural gas peaking plant. It’s part of a move away from coal.
“This investment will help provide more reliable, safe, and affordable energy for #CO08,” Evans wrote on social media in September.
The Department of Energy canceled a $6 million grant for the rural electric cooperative Wednesday.
His office, along with numerous other Republican offices contacted for this story, did not respond to requests for comment.
DOE’s termination Wednesday of 321 financial awards worth roughly $7.56 billion was touted by White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought as retribution against Democrats for the government shutdown and a chance to dismantle the “Green New Scam” — the Republican pejorative for Democratic legislation passed during the Biden era.
But according to details sent to Congress and compiled by Hill Democrats, the award cancellations include dozens of job-creating projects in congressional districts controlled by Republicans.
“This was obviously designed as a political attack by the White House targeting Democrats. But the sad reality is that Americans — the middle class, working class, and vulnerable — who voted for both Democrats and Republicans will be hurt by this,” said House Appropriations ranking member Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.).
Still, at least one Republican said he was OK with the cuts, even if they affected his district. Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.), a conservative with libertarian sensibilities, shrugged at the loss of three projects in his district totaling $110 million.
“Call me old fashioned, but I think that companies should make their money by pleasing their customers and not by using government to take money away from families that they have earned,” he said in a statement to POLITICO’s E&E News.
The three projects include a glass container plant, an electronics recycling operation and a biofuels power plant.
McClintock went on to cite a free-market French economist from the 1800s, Frédéric Bastiat, as backup for his stance.
“In the 19th Century, Bastiat called this ‘plunder,’ and it still is today,” he added. “I strongly support the DOE decision for all the reasons I outlined in my ‘just say no to subsidies‘ speech last year.”
Previous GOP support
In all, at least 28 GOP lawmakers would see spending tied to their districts canceled, while 108 Democrats’ districts would be hit.
Democrats raged against the cuts Thursday. Senate Energy and Natural Resources ranking member Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) called the administration’s actions “nakedly political, unhinged and unlawful.” He said his state lost $135.2 million in funding, with projects ranging from a carbon storage hub effort to a battery storage system.
The cancellations with the highest dollar amount were related to DOE’s hydrogen hub program, an effort made possible by the bipartisan infrastructure law. It was designed to create a national network of hydrogen fuel producers. DOE canceled funding for both the ARCHES hub in California and another hub in the Pacific Northwest.
The $1 billion Pacific Northwest project was slated to rope in three states: Washington, Oregon and Republican-led Montana. Montana Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte had heralded the Pacific Northwest project’s job-creating impact at the time of its announcement in 2023.
“Through its investment in St. Regis, the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub will create more good-paying Montana jobs and ramp up American-made energy in the Treasure State,” Gianforte said.
Four California House Republicans — Reps. Vince Fong, David Valadao, Jay Obernolte and Young Kim — had previously signed a letter urging DOE not to cancel funding for the ARCHES hydrogen hub.
The bipartisan letter sent to Energy Secretary Chris Wright in April asserted the project was a “strategic investment in American energy innovation,” that was part of “an all-of-the-above energy strategy, and energy independence and competitiveness.”
“[W]e respectfully request that you continue supporting ARCHES and provide time for the California hub and its member organizations to further justify their vital role in meeting the energy goals of the administration,” they wrote.
‘What took so long?’
Other projects appear to be targeted at companies in Democratic states but have spill-over impacts in red districts.
For example, Moment Energy, based in Delaware, had a $20 million award canceled for a manufacturing facility creating grid-scale batteries. That factory, however, was slated to be constructed in Texas — specifically in the district of Republican Rep. John Carter — and is expected to create more than 50 manufacturing jobs and 200 permanent positions.
Conservatives have been eager to see the Trump administration slash government funding for clean energy projects across the country. Trump ordered agencies to “terminate the Green New Deal” on his first day back in office.
Many on the right welcomed this week’s news, but at least one had a lingering question.
“What took so long?” asked Tom Pyle, president of the conservative and fossil-fuel-funded Institute for Energy Research.
This story also appears in Energywire.
