Dive Brief:
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St. Paul, Minnesota, and a coalition of energy and environmental groups on Monday sued the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Office of Management and Budget to restore $7.56 billion in clean energy grants the Trump administration canceled in October.
- The lawsuit claims the Trump administration terminated the grants “based on the political views of the citizens of the state associated with the grant.”
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“The Trump administration’s political attack on cities leading climate action blocks progress and threatens the health and well-being of our communities,” St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said in a social media post.
Dive Insight:
The DOE announced Oct. 2 that it was terminating $7.56 billion in grants it had determined “did not adequately advance the nation’s energy needs, were not economically viable, and would not provide a positive return on investment of taxpayer dollars.”
“Nearly $8 billion in Green New Scam funding to fuel the Left’s climate agenda is being cancelled,” Vought posted on social media. “The projects are in the following states: CA, CO, CT, DE, HI, IL, MD, MA, MN, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OR, VT, WA.”
The lawsuit alleges that party politics drove the administration’s decision, noting that “in all sixteen states listed by Vought where projects were terminated, the citizens of that state voted for Vice President Harris over President Trump in the 2024 election” and all of the states have Democratic senators.
The plaintiffs claim the administration’s actions violate the First Amendment by targeting speech based on viewpoint and the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause, which prohibits the federal government from denying equal protection of the laws.
The city of St. Paul had been awarded $560,844 to expand its electric vehicle charging network in neighborhoods “where residents disproportionately bear the burdens of the City’s transportation energy system” and do not have access to “clean, affordable, and reliable transportation,” according to the lawsuit.
“The cancellation of this vital federal funding is not only unconstitutional political retribution but a direct and damaging blow to the residents of St. Paul,” Ianni Houmas, executive director of St. Paul’s Southeast Community Organization, said in a statement. “The electric car program that was targeted for cancellation was specifically designed to expand into our low and moderate-income neighborhoods, offering residents quality, affordable transportation and the freedom it provides.”
Elevate Energy, the Environmental Defense Fund, the Interstate Renewable Energy Council, Plug In America and the Southeast Community Organization are also listed as plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
The DOE and OMB did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
