PROVIDENCE, RI – The Trump Administration is withholding tens of millions of dollars for clean energy and energy efficiency upgrades across Rhode Island that Congress approved under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (P.L. 117-58) and the Inflation Reduction Act (P.L. 117-169).

U.S. Senator Jack Reed supported the creation of a number of clean energy grant programs in the two laws to help Rhode Islanders lower their energy bills, make energy efficiency upgrades more affordable and accessible for Americans, and boost renewable energy production.  Now, Senator Reed is urging the Trump Administration to release around $80 million in previously awarded federal funds to help Rhode Island accelerate its clean energy transition, lower prices, and drive economic growth.

Today, Senator Reed, a member of the Appropriations Committee, sent a pair of letters to two key members of President Trump’s cabinet.  Reed urged U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy to “release the nearly $36 million in electric vehicle charging infrastructure funding for Rhode Island that is being held by the Department of Transportation.”  He also urged U.S. Secretary of Energy  Christopher Wright to “immediately release nearly $43 million in clean energy and energy efficiency funding for Rhode Island.”

“Rhode Islanders deserve affordable, reliable electricity.  America needs an energy policy that embraces technology and innovation and includes renewables like solar, wind, geothermal, and emerging battery storage technologies.  Investing in things like heat pumps is a win-win that lowers energy costs, increases energy independence, and supports good-paying jobs here in Rhode Island.  We’ve made some real progress, but President Trump’s partisan hold on clean energy funds puts those gains at risk and contributes to higher home energy costs,” said Senator Reed.

Federal clean energy funds being halted or withheld by the Trump Administration includes:

Home Efficiency Rebate (HER) Program: $31.9 million halted indefinitely, awaiting final approval.   The funding is in Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources’ (OER) U.S. Treasury account, but OER is unable to launch the program until it receives final approval of its implementation blueprint plan from DOE. 

This funding would allow Rhode Islanders to get rebates for up to 100 percent of the costs (up to $16,000 per multifamily unit) to purchase and install heat pumps.  According to Rewiring America, the average homeowner will save between $370 to $1,000 per year by upgrading to a heat pump.

National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI): Over $20.8 million frozen and guidance rescinded.  NEVI funds are designed to ensure a convenient, reliable network of charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs) nationwide.  The program was allocated $22.8 million, $2 million has already been spent by the state.

Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grant Program (CFI): $15 million on hold – with grant agreement signed, but funds not obligated.

This funding would help build out RI’s EV charging infrastructure and would finance additional chargers in strategic public locations such as public road parking lots, municipal office buildings, public schools, and public parks. 

Building Code Adoption: $9.4 million awarded but never obligated.

This program would help local governments adopt updated building energy conservation codes and standards.  The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that by 2040, modernized energy codes will save homes and businesses $138 billion on their utility bills— equivalent to $162 annually per household.

Resilient and Efficient Codes Implementation (RECI): $1.6 million on hold. The money is in OER’s U.S. Treasury account, but any drawdown of funds is subject to agency approval.

This program is designed for training and implementation of updated energy codes for residential buildings.

Many of these large grants are structured as passthrough grants, meaning federal agencies grant a large sum to a state agency, which then coordinates its own in-state application and disbursement process with local communities and non-profit partners.  Many were scheduled to begin this year before being halted by the Trump Administration.

The Inflation Reduction Act has been instrumental in attracting more than $129 billion in announced clean energy factory investments nationwide since it was enacted in 2022.  Rolling back investments would harm all 50 states and create an economic drag on the U.S. economy.

These federal funds were authorized and appropriated by Congress, signed into law by the previous administration, and awarded to Rhode Island.  Federal law allows for a pause or delay in releasing funds by a new Administration, but a rescission of Congressionally appropriated funds, without Congressional approval, is tantamount to impoundment, which is illegal.  However, the Trump Administration believes impoundment is permissible and that the President has the authority to ignore funding laws that have been passed by Congress. The Trump Administration now wants to litigate this matter before what it believes is a friendly U.S. Supreme Court with six of nine justices appointed by Republican presidents.