CT Democrats call Trump's cancellation of 12 clean energy projects 'reckless and shortsighted'
Twelve federally funded energy projects in Connecticut totaling $52.9 million were among those terminated recently by President Donald Trump, said federal Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought.
The projects, among 321 awards worth $8 billion in previously appropriated funds for projects in primarily Democratic states, were canceled Wednesday.
“Nearly $8 billion in Green New Scam funding to fuel the Left's climate agenda is being canceled,” Vought said on social media site X.
The move was criticized by the state's all-Democratic delegation to Washington, who called the cancellations “a craven and illegal attempt by the Trump administration to bully blue states like Connecticut."
Among the canceled projects was a $2.25 million grant to the University of Connecticut, which had "received notice late yesterday of the termination of this grant," UConn spokesperson Stephanie Reitz said.
"The program is part of research at UConn’s Eversource Energy Center to enhance municipalities’ access to solar power and battery energy storage, to be used when their electric supply is disrupted due to a storm or other emergency," Reitz said.
A $3 million project at Danbury-based FuelCell Energy intended to develop improvements in reversible solid oxide fuel cell systems was also among the canceled projects.
“FuelCell Energy has a long history of conducting critical research for the Department of Energy, dating back to the 1970s, across a broad range of technologies aimed at expanding access to reliable power,” FuelCell spokeswoman Kathleen Blomquist said by email. “This particular project has been underway for nearly five years and is now at its conclusion. We have already received the majority of the contract compensation and expect the small remaining balance to be honored, as the work has been fully completed.”
U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3rd District, called the project cancellations a “shameless and vindictive attack” on Democrats.
“But the sad reality is that Americans — the middle class, working class and vulnerable — who voted for both Democrats and Republicans will be hurt by this,” said DeLauro, ranking member on the House Appropriations Committee. “This is divisive, it is petty, and unfortunately, it is exactly what we have come to expect from President Trump and Russ Vought.”
In the joint statement released Friday, Connecticut’s full delegation to Congress said, “All this reckless and shortsighted announcement does is cut good-paying jobs for people in Connecticut, raise energy costs for families and hurt our economy. While Trump and his cronies make life harder for Americans, we are fighting as a delegation to lower household utility bills and to invest in energy independence.”