California hydrogen project targeted

All 16 states listed did not vote for Trump in the 2024 election.

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THE U.S. Energy Department says it is ramping up the production of fossil fuels.

(TOMAS OVALLE For The Times)

In a news release, the Department of Energy confirmed that it had terminated more than 300 financial awards associated with 223 projects, amounting to $7.56 billion. The department did not specify the project names or locations, but said the awards had been issued by multiple offices, including the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations and the Office Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

California officials said the state’s hydrogen hub, the Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems, or ARCHES, was among the cuts. The hub had received $1.2 billion in federal grant funding from the Biden administration as part of a competitive nationwide effort to develop hydrogen projects that can replace planet-warming fossil fuels.

The announcement came only days after the Energy Department said it was ramping up the production of fossil fuels, including opening 13 million acres of federal lands for coal mining and providing $625 million to recommission or modernize coal-fired power plants.