ROUND UP: More Canceled Jobs and Rate Hikes as Trump’s Billionaire Fossil Fuel Donors Rake in Profits 

Washington, DC – Trump promised to bring back American manufacturing and slash electricity costs in half, but utility bills have spiked by as much as 13% and nearly 180,000 jobs have been lost or delayed since his election. Americans are paying the price for his broken promises and failed policies, with customers in five states facing rate hikes in recent weeks. 

Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers have cleared the way for fossil fuel companies to rake in massive profits by taking a sledgehammer to their clean energy competition, including wreaking havoc on electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing. This week, General Motors indefinitely delayed their EV truck program after laying off 1,100 workers at a manufacturing plant in Michigan last year. Meanwhile, oil and gas companies could reap a $60 billion windfall as Trump’s war of choice in Iran sends prices at the pump through the roof. 

Michigan 

• GM indefinitely delayed its next generation EV truck program because of slowing demand and a pivot to gas-powered or hybrid vehicles. Supplier executives said they did not expect GM to launch a next-generation EV line until 2030 at the earliest.

Kentucky 

• Ascend Elements filed for bankruptcy following multiple grant cancellations for the company’s planned battery materials production facilities in Kentucky. As a result, the company was no longer expected to create 400 jobs at its planned facility in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

Idaho

• Idaho Power filed an electricity rate hike request with the Idaho Public Utilities Commission that was projected to increase average residential customer bills by 3.15%, or $3.64/month, effective June 1, 2026, if approved.

Massachusetts

• Belmont Light raised its residential electricity rate by 6% on March 1, 2026. Some residents reported as much as a $70 increase in their monthly bill.

North Carolina

• Duke Energy is seeking higher electricity rates to recover fuel and power costs from a cold stretch in January and February 2026. The increase was expected to raise average monthly bills for Duke Energy Carolinas customers by $6.90, and Duke Energy Progress customers by $7.88, effective June 1, 2026, if approved.

Pennsylvania

• The Borough of Mont Alto announced it would increase its electric rates by 8% starting in June 2026.

Virginia

• Dominion Energy filed a request with the Virginia State Corporation Commission that would increase its charge used to recover costs associated with removing coal ash from several power stations across the state by 53 cents.