Trump’s War on Clean Energy Continues to Raise Energy Costs and Decimate American Manufacturing
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Trump’s vendetta against homegrown energy sources has canceled or stalled 167,386 jobs – and hiked up utility costs by double digits
Washington, DC – Donald Trump’s war on clean energy continues to leave a trail of shuttered factories and soaring utility bills with residents of North Dakota, Washington, and Texas facing rate hikes of as much as $17 per month. Clean energy manufacturers are forced to downsize and lay off workers, including a green hydrogen and fuel cell manufacturer in Texas which laid off 74 workers last week.
Republicans have happily rubber-stamped Trump’s war on clean energy, despite the fact that they know it will raise costs and kill jobs for their own constituents. When he was Governor of North Dakota, Doug Burgum boasted that one-third of the state’s electricity came from wind energy and issued proclamations celebrating Clean Energy Week, but as Secretary of the Interior, he is driving Trump’s attempt to ban wind and solar energy by denying them permits for new energy projects. Now, North Dakotans will see their electricity bills increase by nearly $12 per month.
Climate Power Senior Advisor Jesse Lee issued the following statement: “Clean energy helps lower costs and creates jobs – that’s why Republicans like Secretary Burgum have championed it in their own states. Instead of standing up for jobs and lowering costs, Washington Republicans have voted for Trump’s disastrous anti-clean energy agenda and left Americans with a trail of shuttered factories and soaring utility bills in the middle of an affordability crisis. This November, they’re going to pay the political price at the ballot box.”
In the last week, Trump’s reckless energy policies have canceled jobs and raised utility costs in four states:
- Texas: Plug Power, a green hydrogen and fuel cell manufacturer and developer, laid off 74 employees at its Houston manufacturing facility. They had previously laid off over 200 staff in New York last year because of economic conditions.
- The Texas Railroad Commission approved a natural gas rate increase for Texas Gas Service customers in El Paso that will raise monthly bills for small residential customers by $3 to $4, and larger residential customers by about $11.
- North Dakota: The North Dakota PSC approved an electric rate increase for Xcel Energy customers that will raise the average monthly residential bill by $11.94.
- Washington: Puget Sound Energy in Washington state recently raised its rates, resulting in a monthly bill increase of $17 for the average residential electric customer, and $6.50 for the average natural gas customer.