At a Glance
- A federal judge ruled the Trump administration illegally canceled $7.6 billion in clean-energy grants
- All targeted projects were in 16 states that voted for Kamala Harris in 2024
- The administration admitted decisions were based on electoral support, violating equal-protection rules
- Why it matters: The ruling restores funding for battery plants, hydrogen hubs, and grid upgrades that the White House tried to kill
A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s cancellation of $7.6 billion in clean-energy grants, ruling that officials targeted projects solely because they are located in states that voted for Democrat Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta said the move violated the Constitution’s equal-protection clause and ordered that the money-supporting hundreds of battery, hydrogen, and carbon-capture projects across 16 states-be restored.
Judge: Grants Killed for Political Spite
In a 17-page opinion, Mehta wrote that administration officials “freely admit that they made grant-termination decisions primarily-if not exclusively-based on whether the awardee resided in a state whose citizens voted for President Trump in 2024.”
The judge noted the White House offered “no explanation” for how punishing states that backed Harris “rationally advances their stated government interest.”
The ruling marks the second legal blow to Trump’s rollback of climate programs in a single day. Earlier Monday, a different federal judge allowed work to resume on a major offshore wind farm planned for Rhode Island and Connecticut waters.
Which Projects Were Canceled
The Energy Department pulled grants from every state that supported Harris, sparing only projects in Republican-won regions.
Canceled awards include:
- Up to $1.2 billion for California’s hydrogen hub
- Up to $1 billion for a Pacific Northwest hydrogen project
- Battery-manufacturing plants, electric-grid upgrades, and carbon-capture pilots in 14 other states
Projects kept intact:
- A Texas hydrogen hub
- A tri-state hydrogen project in West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania
Clean-energy advocates obtained an internal Energy Department list showing the political split.
Administration Defends ‘Review Process’
Energy Department spokesman Ben Dietderich said officials “disagree with the judge’s decision” and “stand by our review process, which evaluated these awards individually and determined they did not meet the standards necessary to justify the continued spending of taxpayer dollars.”
White House budget director Russell Vought framed the cancellations on social media as a culture-war victory, writing, “the Left’s climate agenda is being canceled.”
Trump previewed the strategy last fall. In an October 1 interview with One America News, he said, “I’m allowed to cut things that never should have been approved in the first place and I will probably do that.”
Lawsuits Pile Up
The city of St. Paul and a coalition of environmental groups sued after losing grants. Connecticut and Rhode Island filed a separate suit Thursday over the administration’s attempt to halt the Revolution Wind project.
Vickie Patton, general counsel for the Environmental Defense Fund, called the ruling a defense of “bedrock Constitutional guarantee that all people in all states have equal protection under the law.”
She said the cancellations “imposed high costs on the American people who rely on clean affordable energy for their pocketbooks and for healthier lives.”
Anne Evens, CEO of Elevate Energy-one of the defunded groups-said restoring the grants will keep energy affordable and protect jobs.
“Affordable energy should be a reality for everyone, and the restoration of these grants is an important step toward making that possible,” Evens said.
States That Lost Funding
All 16 targeted states supported Harris in 2024:
| Region | States |
|---|---|
| West | California, Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington |
| Midwest | Illinois, Minnesota |
| Northeast | Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Vermont |
| Southwest | New Mexico |
No Republican-won state lost a grant, according to court filings.
What Happens Next
The administration must immediately reinstate the $7.6 billion and restore work on hundreds of stalled projects. Officials can appeal, but Mehta’s opinion noted the lack of any “legitimate government interest” for the geographic targeting.
Key takeaways:
- The ruling restores funding for battery plants, hydrogen hubs, and grid upgrades nationwide
- It sets a precedent against using federal grants to reward political allies
- Additional lawsuits over offshore wind and other climate rollbacks remain active
The Energy Department has not said whether it will appeal.
