The cuts target battery plants, hydrogen technology, electric grid upgrades, and carbon-capture initiatives. Notable casualties include California's $1.2 billion hydrogen hub, which Governor Gavin Newsom says threatens over 200,000 jobs despite $10 billion in private sector commitments. Federal officials claim the terminated projects failed to advance national energy needs or lacked economic viability.
State leaders and environmental groups have condemned the cancellations as politically vindictive and economically shortsighted, warning they will raise energy costs and undermine American energy innovation. The cuts represent the latest in the Trump administration's broader effort to roll back climate programs, including proposals to overturn EPA greenhouse gas rules and the agency's 2009 finding that climate change threatens public health. Energy Secretary Chris Wright defended the decision as protecting taxpayer dollars and expanding affordable energy supplies.
