- The US Federal judge rules termination of clean energy funding was unconstitutional.
- Decision affects billions of dollars in projects across 16 states.
- Ruling adds pressure on US efforts to reverse clean energy programmes.
A United States federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration acted illegally when it cancelled USD 7.6 billion in clean energy grants awarded to projects in states that supported Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.
The decision, delivered on Monday by US District Judge Amit Mehta, found that the grant cancellations violated constitutional equal protection requirements. The funding supported hundreds of clean energy initiatives across 16 states, including battery manufacturing facilities, hydrogen technology developments, electric grid upgrades and carbon dioxide capture projects.
According to the Department of Energy, the grants were terminated following a review which concluded that the projects did not sufficiently advance national energy priorities or lacked economic viability. White House budget director Russell Vought stated on social media that the administration was cancelling what he described as the political left’s climate agenda.
In a 17 page opinion, Judge Mehta said the administration openly acknowledged that grant termination decisions were based primarily on whether recipients were located in states that voted for President Trump in 2024. He added that the government failed to explain how targeting grant recipients based on electoral outcomes could rationally advance its stated policy objectives.
The ruling marked the second legal setback for the administration’s clean energy rollback in the same day. In a separate case, another federal judge allowed construction to resume on a major offshore wind project serving Rhode Island and Connecticut, granting the sector a temporary reprieve.
The Department of Energy said it disagreed with the ruling. Spokesman Ben Dietderich said officials stood by the review process, stating that each award was assessed individually and did not meet the standards required to justify continued taxpayer spending.
The cancelled projects were located in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont and Washington state. All 16 states supported Harris in the 2024 election.
Among the affected projects were up to USD 1.2 billion for California’s hydrogen hub and up to USD 1 billion for a hydrogen initiative in the Pacific Northwest. Hydrogen projects in Texas and a three state initiative across West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania were not cancelled, according to clean energy advocates.
The city of St Paul and several environmental organisations filed a lawsuit following the loss of grant funding. In a previous interview with One America News, President Trump said his administration could cut projects supported by Democrats, stating that some approvals should never have been granted.
Vickie Patton, general counsel for the Environmental Defense Fund, said the ruling confirmed that the Department of Energy had unlawfully cancelled clean energy projects in politically disfavoured states, undermining constitutional protections and increasing costs for consumers.
Anne Evens, chief executive officer of Elevate Energy, said the court decision would help preserve affordable energy access and protect jobs. She added that restoring the grants was an important step toward ensuring clean and affordable energy for all communities.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
