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The New York Times: Trump Wants to Unleash Energy, as Long as It’s Not Wind or Solar

The New York Times reports on the potential impacts of President Trump's initiatives to restructure America's energy infrastructure. United's President and CEO Heather O'Neill shared her insights surrounding the President's most recent executive orders and the uncertainty they cause for the businesses that are lowering energy costs and increasing grid resiliency.

President Trump is moving to restructure the nation’s energy future to block any transition away from fossil fuels. And he is testing the boundaries of presidential power to do it.

The orders that Mr. Trump signed on Monday would make it easier and cheaper for companies to produce oil and gas and for the government to stop clean energy projects that have been approved.

While some actions lie within his purview, others may violate federal law or run counter to judicial decisions. Among other things, Mr. Trump raised the possibility of reversing the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to regulate greenhouse gases, which has been confirmed by the Supreme Court, and proposed to halt funding for electric vehicle charging stations that Congress has already authorized.

“Congress passed landmark infrastructure and climate investments, and now President Trump is attempting to illegally withhold that money from American businesses, communities, and workers,” said Representative Frank Pallone, Democrat of New Jersey.

The moves also underscore a fundamental tension. Mr. Trump declared that the United States is facing an energy emergency, yet wants to block thousands of megawatts of planned wind projects that could power homes and businesses. He talks about strengthening American manufacturing but plans to withdraw assistance from the electric vehicle industry, which has invested billions of dollars in new factories across the United States.

Renewable energy companies, however, worried about short-term disruptions and sought to cast themselves as the answer to Mr. Trump’s call for lower energy costs.

“A freeze on investing in the technologies we need to power our grid and vehicles threatens our ability to lower costs, create energy abundance, and win the race for global energy dominance,” said Heather O’Neill, president of Advanced Energy United, a trade group whose members include wind, solar and battery firms.

The president has ordered that federal agencies stop spending money approved by Congress when it passed the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which together pumped hundreds of billions of dollars into clean energy and electric vehicles. The order appears aimed at stopping the government from distributing funds to manufacturers of electric vehicles, wind turbines, solar panels and other clean energy, even if grants or loans had already been approved and binding contracts were signed.

Read the full article here.

Topics: United In The News, Heather O'Neill