A row of wind turbines in a field on a sunny day.

US Department of Energy cancels billions in clean energy and carbon capture grants

The U.S. Department of Energy has pulled $3.7 billion in grants for carbon capture and industrial decarbonization, halting dozens of projects that had bipartisan backing and were designed to cut emissions from cement, chemicals, and food production.

Jake Spring reports for The Washington Post.


In short:

  • The Trump administration canceled 24 grants aimed at carbon capture and industrial decarbonization, many of which were awarded in the final weeks of the Biden presidency. The Energy Department said the awards lacked adequate financial scrutiny.
  • The move affects major corporations like ExxonMobil, Kraft Heinz, and Eastman Chemical, with individual grants ranging from $171 million to $500 million. Projects targeted included hydrogen fuel conversions and emissions cuts from cement and plastic production.
  • Though carbon capture has some Republican support, critics on the right argue that the technology is too expensive without subsidies. Climate advocates and Democrats called the cancellations politically motivated and economically shortsighted.

Key quote:

“Choosing to cancel these awards is shortsighted, and I think we’re going to look back at this moment with regret. Locking domestic plants into outdated technology is not a recipe for future competitiveness or bringing manufacturing jobs back to American communities.”

— Steven Nadel, executive director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy

Why this matters:

Carbon capture and industrial decarbonization are key to cutting emissions from heavy industry — sectors like cement, chemicals, and food production that account for a significant share of global greenhouse gases and are hard to electrify. While carbon capture remains politically controversial, especially among fiscal conservatives wary of its high cost, it has emerged as one of the few climate technologies with bipartisan traction. Pulling billions in planned investment could stall projects that were years in the making, potentially locking in polluting technologies and delaying progress toward net-zero goals. These grants also supported early efforts to convert aging plants into cleaner manufacturing hubs, which many hoped would spark job growth and industrial renewal.

Learn more: Trump’s clean energy rollback puts U.S. manufacturers on edge

A view of water with wind turbines in the distance.
Credit: A. C/Unsplash+

Trump officials quietly tighten control over renewable energy projects on public lands

The U.S. Interior Department now requires wind and solar projects on federal land to receive personal approval from Secretary Doug Burgum, a move that could delay clean energy development across millions of acres.

Josh Siegel and Zack Colman report for POLITICO.

Keep reading...Show less
A bullet train speeding down the track with blurred landscape around it.

Trump pulls $4 billion from California bullet train project, escalating feud with Newsom

The Trump administration has revoked $4 billion in federal funding for California’s long-delayed high-speed rail line between Los Angeles and San Francisco, sparking legal threats from Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Frances Vinall reports for The Washington Post.

Keep reading...Show less
A man stands on a rock overlooking a hazy Grand Canyon on a sunny day.

Parks lose ground on clean air as wildfire smoke and budget cuts grow

Air quality across U.S. national parks has improved since the 1990s, but growing wildfire smoke and shrinking federal budgets threaten to reverse those gains.

Niko Kommenda reports for The Washington Post.

Keep reading...Show less
Coal plant with smokestacks and the setting sun in the distance.

Virginia clean energy advocates question reliability of new federal energy report promoting coal

A recent U.S. Department of Energy report ordered by President Trump promotes coal-fired power as essential to grid reliability, but Virginia clean energy advocates say it overlooks climate risks and mounting financial losses.

Charles Paullin reports for Inside Climate News.

Keep reading...Show less
A highway entering the Tongass National Forest with mountains and trees in the background.

Trump administration revives plan to open Alaska’s Tongass rainforest to logging

The Trump administration has announced plans to eliminate protections for roadless areas in national forests, including Alaska’s Tongass, potentially opening millions of acres of wilderness to logging and development.

Ted Williams reports for Yale Environment 360.

Keep reading...Show less
Street signs saying Wall St with a skyscraper in the background.
Credit: Lo Lo/Unsplash

Wall Street firms move to buy electric utilities as data centers drive energy demand

BlackRock and Blackstone are seeking to acquire utilities in Minnesota, New Mexico, and Texas to profit from the electricity needs of expanding data centers, raising concerns from consumer advocates about rate hikes and service reliability.

Ivan Penn reports for The New York Times.

Keep reading...Show less
Interior of an industrial plant with a dusty forklift.

Trump administration halts hydrogen furnace project in polluted Ohio steel town

A plan to replace a coal-fired furnace at an Ohio steel mill with cleaner hydrogen technology has stalled after the Trump administration withdrew key federal support.

Stephen Starr reports for The Guardian.

Keep reading...Show less
From our Newsroom
Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro speaks with the state flag and American flag behind him.

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

silhouette of people holding hands by a lake at sunset

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

wildfire retardants being sprayed by plane

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.

Stay informed: sign up for The Daily Climate newsletter
Top news on climate impacts, solutions, politics, drivers. Delivered to your inbox week days.