The U.S. Department of Energy is scrapping funding for 12 projects in Maryland as part of roughly $7.56 billion in cuts to energy programs amid the government shutdown.
The canceled funding in Maryland is nearly $88 million, according to an analysis from Maryland Democrats.
The list of awards, provided to The Baltimore Sun by the Energy Department, includes funding for three University of Maryland projects totaling about $5.8 million. Other Maryland grants cancelled were designated for the Baltimore Gas & Electric Company, the Resilience Authority of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County, Power 52 Inc, ClearlyEnergy Inc., Combustion Science & Engineering Inc, Hight-Tech Inc, WL Gore and Associates Inc., Materic LLC, and Newport Partners LLC.
The money for the Maryland projects was issued by either the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy or the Office of Grid Deployment. Also canceled was $100 million for Exelon that was set to be billed in Maryland but aimed for a project in Illinois.
Overall, the cancellations could impact 321 awards supporting 223 projects across the country, the agency said.
“Following a thorough, individualized financial review, DOE determined that these projects did not adequately advance the nation’s energy needs, were not economically viable, and would not provide a positive return on investment of taxpayer dollars,” the Department of Energy wrote Thursday in a news release.
Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, first announced funding cancellations Wednesday afternoon. He posted on X, formerly Twitter: “Nearly $8 billion in Green New Scam funding to fuel the Left’s climate agenda is being cancelled.” He listed 16 states that would be impacted by the cuts, all of which are Democrat-led. Vought also paused infrastructure projects in Chicago and New York City.
Maryland Democrats in Congress accused the cancellations of being “partisan — and likely illegal,” in a joint statement Thursday.
“Terminating these lawfully approved projects will raise energy prices for Maryland families, threaten good-paying American infrastructure jobs, and prevent local energy companies from enhancing grid flexibility and improving the resilience of the power system against extreme weather,” the lawmakers wrote. “Once again, the Trump Administration is telling American families and businesses: You’re on your own.”
On Friday afternoon, a letter circulated among House lawmakers urging the Trump administration to reverse the cancellation of funds for green energy projects in Democrat-led states. The effort is led by Rep. Mark Levin, a California Democrat.
A spokesperson for Rep. Sarah Elfreth’s office confirmed she was joining the letter. Four of the 12 energy projects that had funding canceled are in her district, which spans Howard and Anne Arundel counties. Rep. John Olszewski Jr.’s office confirmed he’d also join the letter.
Levin’s letter is among multiple being circulated, a Hill staffer told The Sun. How successful the letters will be in having the funds reversed is uncertain because the cancellations were part of the Trump administration’s plan to pressure Democrats to support the Republican plan to fund the federal government, the staffer added.
But that plan may backfire.
“The fact that they’re illegally withholding funds and vindictively threatening to fire people shows how big the problem is,” Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen told The Sun, referring to Trump. “It’s going to backfire on Donald Trump.”
Have a news tip? Contact Katharine Wilson at kwilson@baltsun.com or Ben Mause at bmause@baltsun.com.
