California decarbonization project is one of 20 dozen projects that Trump’s Department of Energy eliminates
California Democrats condemned the Trump administration’s decision to terminate $3.7 billion in funding for two dozen clean energy projects, including three in Golden State.
The 24 awards recently cancelled by the U.S. Department of Energy were presented by the Biden administration’s office of Clean Energy Demonstration, focusing mainly on carbon capture, isolation and decarbonization programs. Trump officials said the programs will not “raise energy demand for the American people” nor will they bring positive returns on investment for taxpayers.
While the last administration failed to conduct a thorough financial review before signing billions of dollars in taxpayer dollars, the Trump administration is conducting due diligence to ensure we use taxpayer money to strengthen our national security, enhance our affordable, reliable energy, and improve return on investment to generate the highest return on investment,” Doe Secret Secret Chris Wright announced the announcement in his announcement.
One of the biggest cuts is the $500 million bonus from California National Cement, which is the first Zero Project belonging to LEBEC to develop carbon neutral cement. Cement production is known to be emission-intensive, accounting for 8% of the planet’s warm greenhouse gases due to the high heat required in the process and its by-products.
National Cement Corporation officials said the project will capture up to 1 million tons of carbon dioxide each year — in fact, the entire emission profile of its cement plants near Los Angeles and Kern County — but will also serve as a roadmap for the entire cement industry.
“We understand the new DOE priorities and we want to emphasize that the project will expand domestic manufacturing capabilities in key industrial sectors while also integrating new technologies to keep U.S. cement competitive,” the company said in an email. Now, it is exploring options to keep the project alive.
The arrival of cuts is due to a general change caused by Trump’s order to block federal spending and the order to “release American energy.” The president has removed barriers to fossil fuel companies, such as regulations that limit greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, and has called for increased oil and gas drilling and natural resource extraction.
Meanwhile, California has set some of the most ambitious decarbonization targets in the United States, including the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. Environmental experts, including intergovernmental groups that capture and store carbon, are crucial to slowing down global warming in efforts to reduce overall carbon emissions.
Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla of California said in a letter to Wright that the termination was “opposing our shared interest in increasing energy production, innovation and economic vitality.” They urged Wright to restore the project.
“If we want to remain competitive and genuine energy dominant around the world, the U.S. cannot stop our progress and hinder U.S. companies’ efforts to surpass outdated technology,” the senator wrote. “These irrational cancellations will raise energy prices, hinder innovation and regress towards us as we strive toward the future of clean energy.”
The cement project is not the only one cancelled in California. DOE also terminated a $270 million reward for its air-cooled carbon capture and sequestration plant at Sutter Energy Center, a natural gas power plant in Yuba. Carbon sequestration is the process of capturing carbon dioxide and storing it in underground, aquifers or other geological formations.
According to its federal project page, the project is expected to reduce emissions from plants by up to 95%, and capture and store up to 1.75 million tons of carbon dioxide each year.
The federal database shows that the federal government also canceled the $75 million project for Modesto Gallo Glass, which shows the feasibility of replacing gasoline-powered furnaces with hybrid electric melters, reducing natural gas usage by up to 70%.
Schiff and Padilla said all awards were provided through legally binding contract agreements between the recipient and the federal government and therefore could not be cancelled “on political grounds.”
After a thorough and personalized financial review of each project, the company said it made a decision and found that they “did not meet the economic, national security or energy security standards necessary to maintain Doe investment.”
However, the termination also seems to run contrary to the government’s own public commitment. The White House on Earth Day said Trump is trying to promote energy innovation through “cutting technologies that support carbon capture and storage, nuclear energy and the next generation of geothermal.”
DOE canceled funding for projects across the country, including Texas, Mississippi, Kentucky, Wyoming, Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, Ohio, New York, Illinois, Massachusetts, Texas, Washington, Arizona, Arizona and Nevada.
But California’s cancellation is another offense to a state of climate awareness, with the Trump administration overturning its ability to set strict tailpipe emission standards in recent weeks and ultimately banning the sale of new gasoline-powered GARS. The state is prosecuting the decision.
