ROUNDUP: Four Factory Closures or Layoffs in the Last Two Weeks, Thanks to Trump and Republicans
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As Trump heads to Pennsylvania to desperately try to spin his reckless economic agenda, electricity prices have increased by 13% & energy projects are shuttering across the country
Washington, DC – As Trump heads to Pennsylvania to do damage control on his disastrous approval rating, his reckless energy policies are jacking up costs for American families and sending jobs to China. In the last two weeks alone, four companies have announced project cancellations or layoffs thanks to Trump’s war on clean energy.
Donald Trump and Republicans have taken a sledgehammer to clean energy projects in red and blue states across the country. According to Climate Power’s most recent Energy Crisis Snapshot report, over 158,000 jobs have already been lost or stalled in the clean energy sector, and gas and electric utilities have raised or sought to increase bills by at least $89.9 billion since Trump took office.
Michigan
[11/18/25] CBS News: Oakland County automotive plant expecting to lay off 143 workers
About 143 auto industry workers in Oakland County will lose their jobs due to customer order changes at Avancez in Hazel Park, Michigan…
The company said the reason is “due to the sudden and unexpected cancellation of our primary customer’s 2nd shift.”
Texas
[11/21/25] Reuters: Exxon freezes plans for major hydrogen plant amid weak customer demand
Exxon Mobil (XOM.N), has paused plans to build what would be one of the world’s largest hydrogen production facilities due to weak customer demand, CEO Darren Woods told Reuters in an interview on Friday.
The suspension of the project, which had already experienced delays, reflects a wider slowdown in efforts by traditional oil and gas firms to transition to cleaner energy sources as many of the initiatives struggle to turn a profit.
U.S. President Donald Trump had also yanked funding for green initiatives to focus on fossil fuels.
Oil major Exxon announced plans in 2022 to build the plant at its refining and chemical complex in Baytown, Texas, with a goal of producing 1 billion cubic feet per day of so-called blue hydrogen, a clean fuel that produces water when burned…
Nevada
[11/25/25] Bloomberg: Tesla Co-Founder Straubel’s Battery Startup Redwood Fires Dozens
Tesla Inc. co-founder JB Straubel’s battery recycling firm Redwood Materials Inc. cut dozens of jobs as the startup scales back some of its ambitious projects to refocus on tapping into demand for grid-scale batteries…
The closely held company led by Straubel was founded in 2017 to create what he called a “closed-loop” supply chain for the products in the US. The business model has included collecting end-of-life cells for reuse and repurposing them to make battery materials.
But with EV sales failing to meet expectations, there’s been a shakeout among US battery recycling companies that’s increased competition for limited battery feedstock. China’s grip on the supply chain has also lowered commodity prices and eroded profit margins. The industry is facing additional challenges from the Trump administration, which has canceled hundreds of millions of dollars in grants to other battery recyclers and eliminated incentives for EVs…
Washington
[12/2/25] GeekWire: Bill Gates-backed Modern Hydrogen lays off most of its employees after decade-long pursuit of clean energy
Modern Hydrogen — a clean energy startup with technology that at one time seemed to delight Bill Gates and attracted his investment — has now laid off most of its employees and left contractors and vendors anxious about unpaid invoices…
Hydrogen saw a surge of interest during the Biden administration, which created hydrogen hubs around the U.S. to bolster the technology. That support has been curtailed under the Trump administration, which canceled funding for hubs in the Pacific Northwest and California, while the remaining five hubs appear to be at risk of losing support.
Trump’s reckless energy policies are leaving a trail of shuttered projects across the country:
- In just two months, seven clean energy projects were closed in Michigan, including most recently, two electric vehicle battery plants that laid off 324 workers.
- In October, General Motors laid off 1,200 workers at its electric vehicle plant in Detroit, along with hundreds of additional permanent and temporary layoffs at battery plants in Ohio and Tennessee.
- Topsoe cited the repeal of clean energy tax credits as a reason for canceling 150 jobs and a $400 million investment in their Richmond, Virginia facility.
- In October, Fox 2 Detroit reported that over 100 employees at Dana Incorporated, an electric vehicle battery component manufacturer in Auburn Hills, Michigan, had been laid off.
- General Motors canceled a $55 million factory that would have created 300 jobs, citing “decisions of the DOE”.
- Fortescue blamed U.S. “policy settings” and the elimination of “critical tax credits” in Trump and Republicans’ budget bill for the cancellation of their $210 million Detroit EV battery factory.
- Trump used the government shutdown as an opportunity to sow even more chaos and uncertainty for American workers by cancelling $8 billion in investments in states that did not vote for him. The Trump administration has put $24 billion for energy projects on the chopping block since May.
- Trump’s federal energy policies contributed to battery startup, Natron Energy, shutting down and canceling its planned $1.4 billion factory in Eastern North Carolina, which would have created 1,000 jobs.
- Blue Ridge Power blamed insurmountable “market headwinds” impacting the renewable energy industry for their decision to lay off 517 workers in North Carolina.
- Trump planned to revoke federal permitting for a Maryland wind farm, which would have powered 718,000 homes and supported more than 1,300 jobs.