Trump administration axes $1.1B in Washington clean energy funding
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
The Trump administration is canceling more than $1.1 billion in grants for energy projects across Washington state, Gov. Bob Ferguson's office said Thursday.
The big picture: It's part of a rollback of $7.6 billion in funding for 223 projects nationwide, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
The latest: Russ Vought, the director of the federal Office of Management and Budget, posted on X that projects are being canceled across 16 states, all of which voted for Democrat Kamala Harris in the last presidential election.
Democrats quickly accused the administration of targeting blue states to punish Democrats for withholding votes on a government spending bill — a standoff that caused the federal government to shut down this week.
What they're saying: "It is outrageous that this administration is using a government shutdown to punish blue states like Washington," Ferguson said in a written statement Thursday.
- "We're working with the Attorney General's Office to fight this illegal action."
- The "decision to target projects primarily in blue states during a Republican shutdown makes this cut not only harmful but also transparently political," U.S. Rep. Adam Smith (D-Bellevue) said in a news release.
The Department of Energy, meanwhile, said it conducted "a thorough, individualized financial review" to guide its decisions.
- "DOE determined that these projects did not adequately advance the nation's energy needs, were not economically viable, and would not provide a positive return on investment of taxpayer dollars," the agency said in a news release.
- Vought put it a bit differently, writing on X: "Nearly $8 billion in Green New Scam funding to fuel the Left's climate agenda is being cancelled."
What they're saying: One of the local projects affected is the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub, which aims to "create a clean hydrogen economy across our region," Ferguson said.
- Other affected projects are in California, Oregon, Hawai'i, Illinois, Massachusetts, Colorado, Connecticut, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Vermont, Minnesota, Maryland, Delaware and New Hampshire, according to Vought's X post.
What's next: Grant recipients have 30 days to appeal — a process some projects have already begun, the Department of Energy said.