Inside the Greenhouse is a monthly update on FCNL’s environmental advocacy and the climate crisis.
Billions in Cuts Would Harm Clean Energy Hubs Across the Country
On October 2, the Trump administration announced $7.6 billion in cuts targeted at clean energy projects. Many experts are concerned over potential project cancellations in more states as the government shutdown continues. For instance, the South Texas Direct Air Capture Hub and the Louisiana Project Cypress Air Capture Project, both supported by bipartisan groups of lawmakers, stand to lose funding from cuts. More troubling are at-risk multi-state initiatives, such as the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub, which invests throughout Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
Future cuts could contribute to higher power prices as electricity demand rises, leading many companies to move their investments outside the country. Carbon removal hubs in Louisiana and Texas and offshore wind projects on the east coast are predicted to create thousands of high-paying jobs in the clean energy industry. If the Department of Energy (DOE) decides to make these cuts, the United States will move even further away from a just transition to clean energy.
News and Updates
FEMA Cancels $11B in Disaster Payments to States
In a report released in late September, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) publicly confirmed that the administration withheld $10.9 billion in critical disaster assistance from more than 45 states.
In addition to this rescission of previously approved funds, FEMA’s proposed budget would significantly cut the agency’s disaster spending by tens of billions of dollars. The states that the budget shortfall would most heavily impact are New York, California, Maryland, Georgia, Florida, and Pennsylvania. These states all experience increasingly frequent extreme weather disasters made worse by climate change.
For First Time, Renewables Beat Out Coal in Total Generation Globally
In the first six months of the year, renewable energy sources like wind and solar generated more electricity globally than coal, according to a report published this month by energy think tank Ember. As the United States deprioritizes renewables, green energy has made historic gains around the rest of the world.
“We are seeing the first signs of a crucial turning point,” Malgorzata Wiatros-Motyka, senior electricity analyst at Ember, stated within the report. While the lead renewables had over coal this year is small, the trajectory is clear: solar and wind are surging because they are increasingly very cheap compared to coal. In the U.S. a study found that 99 percent of coal plants are more expensive to run than renewable replacements would be. Renewables are cheaper, healthier, and overall better than their coal alternatives to generate electricity, which puts us on a strong path forward as we counter the climate crisis.
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