The U.S. Department of Energy cancelled $7.5 billion in grants on Wednesday, including three grants for projects at the University of Maryland.
The energy department announced in a news release Wednesday it decided to end 321 grants that supported 223 projects across the country after a review. The department determined the grants did not “adequately advance the nation’s energy needs, were not economically viable, and would not provide a positive return on investment of taxpayer dollars.”
The three grants totaled more than $5.8 million, according to a fact sheet created by Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee. The fact sheet did not include the individual projects the grants were awarded for.
The university declined to comment about the grant cancellations.
The cancellations primarily targeted Democrat-led states, including Maryland. Thirteen energy department grants in Maryland were among the hundreds cancelled Thursday, according to the list.
“These reckless budget cuts threaten critical clean energy research at the University of Maryland, projects that are driving innovation, creating good-paying jobs, and advancing our fight against climate change,” U.S. Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.), who represents College Park’s congressional district, said in a statement to The Diamondback. “I strongly oppose any effort to undercut Maryland’s leadership in building a cleaner, more sustainable future.”
An estimated 60 federal grants to researchers at this university had been cancelled as of Sept. 12, totaling more than $30 million, The Diamondback previously reported. The loss of those grants will be seen over the course of multiple years.
Federal grant recipients have 30 days to appeal the termination of their funding.
This story has been updated.
Reach Apurva Mahajan at amahaja@umd.edu. If you are a researcher, faculty member or student impacted by federal grant cancellations and would like to speak with a reporter, contact Apurva securely on Signal: amahaja.80
