The Energy Department announced late Wednesday it was cutting awards that funded 223 projects, axing about $7.56 billion in spending.
In a social media post ahead of the announcement, White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought announced the funding cuts would take place for projects in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont and Washington state.
Vought, in his post, categorized the projects as “Green New Scam funding to fuel the Left’s climate agenda.”
All of those states went for former Vice President Kamala Harris in last year’s election, and most of them have Democratic governors.
However, a breakdown released by congressional Democrats indicates some of the canceled funds are for projects located in states that did not vote for Harris: Tennessee, South Carolina, North Dakota, Iowa and Florida.
The funding being canceled was slated to go to a variety of recipients. One particularly notable award is up to $1.2 billion that would go to advance hydrogen energy in California.
That money was awarded as one of several regional “hubs” funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to promote energy that comes from hydrogen atoms.
“In Trump’s America, energy policy is set by the highest bidder, economics and common sense be damned. Clean hydrogen deserves to be part of California’s energy future — creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs and saving billions in health costs,” said California
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), a likely 2028 presidential candidate, in a written statement. A press release from his office said the move threatens 200,000 jobs.
A major $1 billion in funding for hydrogen power in the Pacific Northwest was also canceled, but other hydrogen hubs with projects in states like West Virginia and Pennsylvania appear to be untouched.
Welcome to The Hill’s Energy & Environment newsletter, I’m Rachel Frazin — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains.
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On Tap
Upcoming news themes and events we’re watching:
On Wednesday, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is slated to hold a confirmation hearing on nominees to the EPA and Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
On Wednesday, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee is slated to consider legislation including a pipeline safety bill.
