Leaked doc reveals the chaotic politics behind Trump Energy Department cuts

The Department of Energy (DOE) under the Trump administration recently canceled approximately $9 billion worth of awards, a move publicly framed as prioritizing fossil fuels over renewable energy. However, documents obtained by TechCrunch reveal a more nuanced picture: the cancellations affected a broad range of projects, including some aimed at reducing methane emissions in oil and gas operations and carbon capture initiatives. Notably, the Gas Technology Institute, which serves the natural gas industry, had $417 million in awards canceled, and carbon capture projects lost around $200 million. The cancellations disproportionately impacted states that voted for Kamala Harris in the last presidential election, with California losing over $2.2 billion and other blue states like Colorado, Illinois, and New York also facing significant cuts. In contrast, states that voted for Trump saw far smaller losses. Several large-scale projects were among those canceled, including a $1.2 billion award to Minnesota intended to modernize electrical grid interconnections across seven Midwest states, potentially unlocking 28 gigawat