Although oil production soared under former President Joe Biden, his administration also promoted green energy aggressively and acknowledged the dangers of climate change. Biden favored a combination of fossil fuels and green energy; President Donald Trump, in contrast, is a climate change denier who repeatedly voices his preference for fossil fuels. Moreover, Trump claims, without evidence, that wind turbines cause cancer.
In the 2024 election, Trump enjoyed his strongest support in deep red states like Alabama, Mississippi and Idaho. But according to journalist Stephen Starr, Trump's defunding of solar energy will have a negative impact in red states and is "causing panic."
In an article published by The Guardian on February 17, Starr reports, "On 20 January, Donald Trump paused billions of dollars of federal grant funding for clean energy and other projects around the country initiated by the Biden Administration's Green New Deal…. The funding is part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's $7 billion Solar for All program, which is meant to help low-income families save money on electricity costs. About $117 million was set for solar projects and initiatives in Indiana."
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Starr adds, "Communities across Indiana, a solidly Republican midwestern state, were set to benefit more than most from the Biden Administration's ambitious clean energy push in what was an ultimately failed effort to win votes in Rust belt states whose voters have abandoned Democratic Party politicians in recent decades."
Trump, Starr notes, "followed through on his election campaign promise to roll back clean energy initiative."
"Indiana isn't alone in its drive for solar energy," Starr reports. "Solar projects ranging from utility scale to single housing efforts have proved hugely popular in red states. Texas has the second-highest number of installed solar power units, after California, enough to power more than 4.5m homes. Florida follows close behind."
Starr adds, "A quarter of a trillion dollars — 80 percent of the total funding for green energy manufacturing and other initiatives — was to go to projects in Republican-leaning congressional districts across the U.S.
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Read The Guardian's full article at this link.