Climate activists warn that Trump's energy policies have cost thousands of clean energy jobs
Solar panels at the East Lansing Community Solar Park, June 26, 2023 | Kyle Davidson
Since President Donald Trump's election on Nov. 7, more than 42,000 clean energy and climate jobs across the nation have been lost or stalled according to a new analysis from the communications firm Climate Power.
Focused on building support for climate action, Climate Power has issued several reports detailing the impacts of President Joe Biden's climate policies on clean energy and electric vehicle manufacturing, noting Michigan is leading the nation in attracting new manufacturing projects.
However, in the weeks since his Jan. 20 inauguration, Trump has worked to put an end to the climate and clean energy investments laid out in Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act and halt renewable energy efforts across the country.
Climate Power said Trump's efforts have taken a wrecking ball to clean energy investments supplying high paying jobs and lower energy costs to communities throughout the U.S.
Since Trump was elected, 42,493 announced jobs — representing more than $57 billion in investment — and 64 projects have been stopped or stalled, according to an analysis of media reports identifying projects as delayed, threatened, or canceled. Climate Power's analysis includes projects or companies that directly cite Trump administration actions as the reason for closure and projects that are canceled, delayed or threatened without specifically pointing to the Trump administration's actions.
'America is losing nearly a thousand jobs a day because of Trump's war against cheaper, faster, and cleaner energy. Congressional Republicans have a choice: get in line with Trump's job-killing energy agenda or take a stand to protect jobs and lower costs for American families,' Climate Power Executive Director Lori Lodes said in a statement.
U.S. Rep. John James (R-Shelby Twp.) and at least seven other House Republicans previously called on their colleagues to preserve tax credits created or expanded by Biden's climate policies according to a report from Politico.
'We must not neglect the sector-wide energy tax provisions that manufacturers and job creators rely on in my district and around the country,' James said.
In its Clean Energy Business Impacts Tracker, Climate Power identifies six projects in Michigan that have been delayed, canceled or threatened by the Trump Administration.
This includes a shuttered effort to retrofit a Marysville parts plant to produce electric vehicle parts and battery manufacturer Akasol's plan to end production in Michigan on April 14.
The tracker notes that neither project has been linked to Trump's climate and energy policies.
However, the remaining four projects have either been delayed, or are directly threatened by regulatory action or an executive order. This includes conditional loans to both DTE and Consumers Energy from the U.S Department of Energy's Loan Programs Office for renewable energy projects totaling several billion dollars.
A spokesperson for Consumers Energy did not respond to a request prior to publication. DTE did not have a statement to share.
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