Key insights
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1
Equal protection violation cited in grant cancellations: Judge Amit Mehta said the grant cancellations violated the Constitution’s equal protection requirements and wrote that defendants admitted decisions were made primarily based on whether awardees were in states that voted for Trump in 2024.
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2
Administration disputes ruling and defends review process: A Department of Energy spokesperson said the Trump administration disagrees with the ruling and said awards were reviewed individually and did not meet standards to justify continued spending of taxpayer dollars.
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Courts issued two rulings affecting clean energy programmes on the same day: One ruling addressed cancelled clean energy grants, and a separate federal judge ruled that work on an offshore wind farm for Rhode Island and Connecticut can resume.
Takeaways
A federal court ruling found the Trump administration’s cancellation of $7.6bn in clean energy grants to Democratic-voting states was illegal, and the administration said it disagrees with the decision.
Topics
World & Politics Policy & Regulation Climate & Environment Climate Change Energy Law & Public Safety Courts