More than 100 fired from National Renewable Energy Lab
More than 100 staff members have been fired from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, spokespeople for the lab confirmed on Tuesday.
A National Renewable Energy Lab spokesperson cited 'stop work orders from federal agencies, new federal directives, and budgetary shifts' in its reason for the firings.
'As a result, NREL has experienced workforce impacts affecting 114 employees across the laboratory, including staff from both research and operations, who were involuntarily separated today,' the spokesperson said.
However, spokespeople for the lab declined to elaborate on what orders it had received. The National Renewable Energy Lab had nearly 3,700 employees as of 2023, and it is the Energy Department's primary energy systems lab.
The lab has campuses in Colorado, Alaska and Washington, D.C. The job cuts come as the Trump administration has sought to cut staffing across the board — but has also demonstrated a particular distaste for renewable energy.
While even under his last administration, Republicans called for an 'all of the above' energy strategy, this time around the Trump administration has excluded renewables from its energy emergency declaration and sought to stop or even claw back approvals for wind projects.
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