The Trump administration has canceled half of a billion dollars in funding for climate-related projects in Colorado.
The Department of Energy says the projects don’t advance the nation’s energy needs and aren’t economically viable. But Democrats say the move is politically motivated as Congress remains deadlocked over federal funding and the government remains shut down.
In all, DOE eliminated $7.6 billion in projects in 16 states, all of which are led by Democrats. But some of the projects are in Republican congressional districts, including a $27 million grant in Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, which Rep. Gabe Evans, a Republican, represents.
Colorado lost nearly three dozen grants funding everything from electric battery recycling to energy efficiency improvements and carbon capture technology to methane emission reduction. In some cases, recipients were required to match the grant funding.
Private companies, public universities and the Colorado Energy Office were all impacted. The University of Colorado will lose just over $8 million, Colorado School of Mines $36 million, and Colorado State University $344 million.
Hank Price will lose everything.
“This is a big hit for us,” he said. “We won’t survive both these projects being shut down.”
Price’s company, Solar Dynamics in Broomfield, does research on solar thermal energy used to run power plants. The Department of Energy gave the company a grant to figure out why the tanks used to store the energy keep leaking.
“The government has invested over $1 million. We’ve invested a couple hundred thousand of our own money in this, and we’re right at the point where we’re about to start doing the testing,” Price said.
Solar Dynamics 
Solar Dynamics employs a dozen people. All of them stand to lose their jobs if the funding — just over $5 million — is cut.
Colorado State University says it will need to cut 32 jobs.
Not all the projects targeted were climate related. Tri state Generation and Transmission Association was doing research on grid reliability.
“It’s a shame to see our own federal government shy away from helping to build a reliable grid, reduce our energy costs, and we’re all going to be paying the price,” said Gov. Jared Polis.
He suggested the timing of the cuts is suspect.
“It’s really acting like kindergartners here. I mean, get the government open, restore these grants. This is very petty stuff,” Polis said.
Hank Price says he’s received 11 contracts in 10 years from the Energy Department and is hopeful it will reverse its decision regarding research on thermal energy storage.
“Right now the Department of Energy is investing in advanced nuclear reactor technology development and at least one of those technologies uses this exact same storage technology as well,” Price said.
If he loses his appeal, he says, Solar Dynamics will likely close.
“We’ve been able to do things that we think are important and helpful, you know, to the future energy needs of this country and the world, you know. And it’s been a real pleasure to have that opportunity,” Price said.
In all, DOE cancelled 321 grants. It says 26% of them were awarded between Election Day last year and Inauguration Day and they lacked adequate documentation.
Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat and Colorado’s senior senator, said the funding cuts were “nakedly political.”
Bennet released a statement saying, “Now, we risk rising energy prices, abandoning cutting-edge research, and losing critical expertise in our state.”
More than half the money eliminated in the state came from projects in Democratic Rep. Joe Neguse’s district.
Neguse, who represents Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District, vowed to fight back.
“The attempt to use a government shutdown to unlawfully rescind already appropriated funds and terminate federal employees is illegal, pure and simple. The Trump administration’s unlawful and politically motivated attacks on communities across our state will inflict direct harm on Colorado’s students, schools, businesses, and many others. It is shameful. These acts of retribution are intended to stoke fear, and Democrats must use every legal and legislative tool to reverse these decisions and hold the administration accountable — which is exactly what we intend to do.”
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