By Julia Terruso, Philadelphia Inquirer
The Department of Energy is canceling hundreds of clean energy projects in Democratic-led states, including in New Jersey and Delaware, as President Donald Trump’s administration uses the government shutdown to make additional federal workforce and funding cuts.
Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, said on Wednesday that the department would end funding for projects in 16 states totaling $8 billion.
“The Left’s climate agenda is being canceled,” Vought posted on X.
In Delaware, that appears to include two Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy grants, one for the University of Delaware, and one for Chemours, a chemical company, according to a source familiar with the termination plan.
It wasn’t immediately clear what specific work the grants were funding, but the University of Delaware announced in 2021 two renewable energy-related projects backed by $4 million in grants. One explored the decision-making process for adopting solar energy and electric vehicle use, and another is related to the efficiency of solar panels.
Chemours in 2024 announced DOE grants totaling $60 million awarded under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support green hydrogen technology.
Sen. Chris Coons (D., Del.) blasted the cancellation in a statement to The Inquirer.
“President Trump promised ‘energy dominance.’ Now, he’s destroying projects that are the key to that dominance, setting back energy innovation and putting us behind our adversaries,” Coons said.
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