Democrats and environmental groups slam move as ‘sick political game’ and say it will drive up energy bills

The Trump administration is cancelling $7.6bn in grants that supported hundreds of clean energy projects in 16 states, all of which voted for Democrat Kamala Harris in last year’s presidential election.

The move comes as Donald Trump threatens deep cuts in his fight with congressional Democrats over the government shutdown.

The energy department said in a statement on Thursday that 223 projects were terminated after a review determined they did not adequately advance the nation’s energy needs or were not economically viable. Officials did not provide details about which projects are being cut, but said funding came from the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and other energy department bureaus.

  • Verdant Banana@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    might as well be all of them but specifically Biden and Walz are named in the articles and if the democrat national convention did not spell out the democrats’ true goals/alliances/checkwriters enough to wake the citizens up then we are truly doomed

    Resistance to the Line 3 pipeline expansion is led by Indigenous women and two-spirit people.[35] Ojibwe-led groups including Giniw Collective, Camp Migizi, Red Lake Treaty Camp, RISE Coalition, and Honor the Earth among others have been at the center of resistance.[36] Demonstrators and protesters organizing in opposition to the pipeline refer to themselves as “water protectors”[37] and follow a campaign of non-violent civil disobedience that includes direct actions.[38] Organizers aim to convince the Biden administration to revoke or suspend the pipeline project’s federal clean water permit.[23] Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has not taken a firm stance on the pipeline expansion, which received federal approval under the Trump administration.[18][23]

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_Line_3_protests

    Climate change

    Much of the resistance to the Line 3 project comes from concerns over climate change. Climate justice groups such as the North Star Chapter of the Sierra Club,[46] MN350,[47] and Honor the Earth[48] have campaigns to “Stop Line 3.”[49] The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which was conducted by the Minnesota Department of Commerce, explains how the new Line 3 pipeline would contribute to deforestation, increase risk of pollution to Minnesota’s pristine water ecosystems and wild rice beds, and generate the greenhouse gasses that contribute to climate change.[16] In fact, a study authored by over a dozen climate justice organizations found that the greenhouse gas emissions from constructing the new Line 3 pipeline would be equivalent to building 50 new coal-fired power plants.[50] The EIS estimated that the social cost of carbon from those emissions would total more than $120 billion over 30 years.[51] The MN Department of Commerce under Governor Mark Dayton formally denounced the proposed Line 3 project on environmental grounds.[52]

    In light of the serious risks and effects on the natural and socioeconomic environments of the existing Line 3 and the limited benefit that the existing Line 3 provides to Minnesota refineries, it is reasonable to conclude that Minnesota would be better off if Enbridge proposed to cease operations of the existing Line 3, without any new pipeline being built.

    — Minnesota Department of Commerce, The Bemidji Pioneer

    Tim Walz’s administrative U turn

    Although the appeal was supported twice by Governor Tim Walz’s administration,[53][54] they subsequently withdrew support on 12 November 2020. Four days later 12 out of 17 of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s Environmental Justice Advisory Group resigned.[55]

    The decision to approve the permit sends a clear message that the Walz Administration and the MPCA hold no regard for the well-being of Minnesotans or our relatives around the world, who depend on us to dramatically, rapidly, and justly transition our economies away from fossil fuels. This is the final straw after increasing disappointment in the MPCA’s failure to build on the hard work of dedicated EJAG members over the years. The transition to a new commissioner has set back the EJAG’s work, and the EJAG has since been excluded from important decisions that affect how the group is managed. EJAG members were not consulted on the hiring of an outside facilitator, nor on the divvying of group members into work groups. EJAG members have also experienced dismissal, being discouraged from sharing honest thoughts and opinions. This is not how an advisory group should be engaged to appropriately respect the wisdom being sought.

    — EJAG resignation letter, [56]

    In February 2021, U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar called on President Joe Biden to stop the construction of the pipeline: “The decision that U.S. entities make on Line 3 is a decision made for the entire world, and for all coming generations of humanity. I urge you to make the one decision supported by the scientific consensus on climate change: Stop Line 3.” A press release cited how the pipeline would “add five times as much greenhouse gas annually as Minnesota transportation produced in total in 2016.”[57]

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_3_pipeline

    • Zachariah@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      Thanks for the info. I’m having a hard time understanding how Biden and Walz helped “Trump officials cut nearly $8bn in clean energy projects in Democratic states” this time. Do you have more specific info on this?

      • circuscritic@lemmy.ca
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        1 day ago

        They’re saying that they serve the same masters, not that they take the same approach.

        I think we can all appreciate that while the Democrats are objectively better than Trump, that doesn’t wash away their sins and own systemic rot.

        It is important to remember that while they may be short-term allies of necessity, they are not good and they will never serve your interests if that conflicts with the interests of the donor class.

        • Zachariah@lemmy.world
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          1 day ago

          Them replying to this post/article how they did makes it sound like the Democrats are involved this time, too. I am wondering which ones and how.