News|Donald TrumpCourt says Trump illegally blocked clean energy grants to Democratic statesA US district judge ruled that Trump’s decision singled out states that voted for Democrats in the 2024 elections.
A United States District Judge has determined that the Trump administration acted unlawfully in rescinding $7.6 billion in clean energy grants allocated to states that supported Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
A United States District Judge has determined that the Trump administration acted unlawfully in rescinding $7.6 billion in clean energy grants allocated to states that supported Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
On Monday, District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that the administration's actions breached the Constitution's equal protection clause. The decision stated that grant termination was primarily based on the recipients' states' voting patterns in the 2024 election.
The revoked grants were intended for numerous clean energy initiatives across 16 states, including California, Colorado, New Jersey, and Washington. These projects aimed to develop battery manufacturing facilities and advance hydrogen technology. They were halted in October as part of a broader strategy by the Trump administration to exert pressure on Democratic-led states during a government shutdown.
On Monday, District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that the administration's actions breached the Constitution's equal protection clause.
In California, a project designed to accelerate hydrogen technology faced cuts of up to $1.2 billion, while the Pacific Northwest saw reductions of up to $1 billion for a hydrogen initiative. St. Paul, Minnesota, was among the affected jurisdictions, leading the city and environmental groups to file a lawsuit challenging the decision.
A spokesperson for the US Department of Energy stated that the Trump administration disagrees with the judge's ruling, maintaining that their grant evaluation process was thorough and necessary to eliminate what they termed wasteful expenditure.
The ruling marks the second legal challenge in a short period against the Trump administration's efforts to scale back clean energy programs. Another federal judge has allowed work to resume on a significant offshore wind farm project for Rhode Island and Connecticut, countering the administration's attempts to halt it. The Trump administration has expressed a commitment to reducing what it considers excessive government spending and has advocated for increased fossil fuel production, opposing the development of the offshore wind industry.
Based on reporting by Al Jazeera.