Home » Clean Energy Hub

Clean Energy Attacks & Responses

Download Content

Last Updated: 7/24/26 — Updated Weekly

Clean Energy Costs

CLAIM: Clean Energy Increases Prices

FACT: Clean Energy Lowers Electricity Costs

• States that have experienced the largest increases in wind and solar generation have not seen electricity rates grow faster than average, with several leaders in clean energy growth actually seeing residential electricity costs rise slower than inflation.
  • In Texas, the buildout of solar and wind energy reduced electricity costs by $11 billion in 2022 alone.
• Natural gas price volatility is a larger driver of electricity price spikes – the states most reliant on natural gas for electricity had the highest rate of retail price increases since 2020.
• According to a June 2025 report, unsubsidized utility-scale solar and onshore wind remain the most cost-effective forms of new-build energy generation. In contrast, the cost of building a new combined cycle gas turbine has reached a 10-year high.
• Replacing all but one of the country’s coal plants with clean energy and batteries would produce net savings for consumers.
• The transition to clean energy will reduce U.S. electricity prices by 20% to 80% by 2040.

CLAIM: July 2026: Energy Secretary Wright Claimed New York’s Clean Energy Policies Were Responsible For Rising Electricity Prices

On July 20, 2026, Energy Secretary Wright claimed, Many claim that rising energy prices are a direct result of AI, but this narrative simply doesn’t hold water. The real factor behind New York’s costly energy lies in the state’s green energy mandates, which have had a significant impact on affordability. It’s these policies that have contributed to higher expenses for New Yorkers.”

CLAIM: July 2026: Energy Secretary Wright Claimed Solar And Wind Energy Raised Electricity Prices.

On July 7, 2026, Energy Secretary Wright claimed, “These are blue state policies and they were Obama administration policies and Biden administration policies. 17 years ago, the democrats decided they’re the party of expensive energy. They’re the party of unreality. We’re going to oppose fossil fuels even though they’re 80% of American energy and 80% of global energy. We’re going to close coal plants and make it hard to build new gas plants, close nuclear plants and bet the farm on the sun and the wind. That was a disastrous bet that drove high electricity prices and stopped any growth of American electricity production.”

CLAIM: June 2026: Interior Secretary Burgum Claimed States That Opposed Fossil Fuells Were Against Lower Prices

On June 12, 2026, Interior Secretary Burgum claimed, “This prosperity could be divided unevenly across our country because the states that have been fighting hydrocarbons, ‘we’re going to stop pipelines. We’re going to stop new power plants. We’re going to stop, you know, building AI data centers,’ all the things that they’re doing to be opposed to having energy abundance, then those states are actually against lower prices for their own citizens. And they’re against the prosperity that follows when you’ve got energy abundance.”

CLAIM: February 2026: Interior Secretary Burgum Claimed The “Green New Scam” Would Cause Economic Disaster

On February 24, 2026, Interior Secretary Burgum claimed, “The Green New Scam is one of the greatest hoaxes in HISTORY & was leading us towards economic disaster before @POTUS took office. Now? We’re on a path towards lower prices, economic prosperity & U.S. Energy DOMINANCE. All we needed was President Trump!”

CLAIM: February 2026: Interior Secretary Burgum Claimed Pro-Clean Energy Policies Increased Energy Prices

On February 23, 2026, Interior Secretary Burgum claimed, in a speech at the NGA conference that fossil fuel would support AI infrastructure and, “He rejected the idea that energy-hungry data centers are raising electricity prices. ‘It’s not true. States that don’t even have a data center are saying, ‘Oh it’s because of AI, our prices are going up,’’ he said. Instead, he blamed higher prices on ‘ideology’ that he said favors renewables over fossil fuels.”

CLAIM: February 2026: Interior Secretary Burgum Claimed The “Green New Scam” Caused High Prices

On February 13, 2026, Interior Secretary Burgum claimed, “.@Interior will not rest until high prices caused by the Green New Scam are FULLY reined in. That means MORE mining, MORE drilling, MORE ENERGY! We’ve already held 4 coal lease sales, 22 @BLMNational lease sales & the 1st offshore lease sale under the One, Big Beautiful Bill!”

CLAIM: January 2026: Energy Secretary Wright Claimed Wind And Solar Increase Electricity Prices, And That Fossil Fuels And Nuclear Lower Electricity Prices

On January 31, 2026, Energy Secretary Wright claimed, “The more wind and solar you build, the higher your electricity prices are going to be. The more gas and nuclear and coal you build, the lower your electricity costs are going to be.”

CLAIM: Renewable Portfolio Standards And Other State Pro-Renewable Energy Policies Increase Electricity Costs

FACT: Renewable Portfolio Standards Are Correlated With Lower Residential Electricity Prices

• Renewable portfolio standards (RPS) and utility-scale renewables are not associated with higher residential electricity prices, according to a study from MIT’s Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research. The study analyzed data from 1998 through 2023 and concluded that “RPSs have virtually zero impact” on residential electricity prices. The study also found that utility-scale renewable energy systems are associated with lower prices.

FACT: States With Higher Use Of Clean Energy Have Lower Utility Costs

• 17 of the 22 states that generate a higher-than-average share of their power from wind and solar had below-average electricity prices in June 2025 according to data from the EIA.
• States that have experienced the largest increases in wind and solar generation have not seen electricity rates grow faster than average, with several leaders in clean energy growth seeing residential electricity costs rise more slowly than inflation. In Texas, the buildout of solar and wind energy reduced electricity costs by $11 billion in 2022 alone. Renewable energy reduced wholesale electricity costs in Texas by $900 million between June and September 2023. 
• The transition to clean energy will reduce U.S. electricity prices by 20 to 80% by 2040.

FACT: States With The Lowest Renewable Energy Deployment Have Higher Utility Bills

• The 10 states with the lowest renewable energy deployment saw their energy prices increase in 2025, while the states with the highest percentage of wind and solar generation saw their prices fall.
• Natural gas price volatility is a larger driver of electricity price spikes – the states most reliant on natural gas for electricity had the highest rate of retail price increases since 2020.

FACT: Every State Is Seeing Higher Costs, And Not Because Of Renewable Energy

• Connecticut, Hawaii, and Rhode Island were the only three states to see their average price of electricity to residential customers fall between January 2025 and 2026. All three states are solidly blue.
• Purple states, including Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Virginia, experienced some of the highest electricity price spikes between November 2024 and November 2025.
• Some blue states, like California, New York, and Massachusetts, have higher electricity prices because of costly infrastructure upgrades and maintenance.

CLAIM: July 2026: Energy Secretary Wright Claimed “Green Energy Mandates” Were Responsible For Higher Electricity Prices

On July 14, 2026, Energy Secretary Wright claimed, “Of course in states that have been 20 years of driving up electricity prices in their states, no wonder people are upset about rising energy prices and they want that to stop. What they need to stop is the green energy mandates that have been driving up the prices.”

CLAIM: July 2026: Interior Secretary Burgum Claimed Electricity Bills Are Only High In States That Pursued Clean Energy

On July 3, 2026, Interior Secretary Burgum claimed, “People’s electric bills are too high all live in states where the states where they pursued a high degree of energy transition.”

CLAIM: June 2026: Interior Secretary Burgum Claimed States That Pursued Clean Energy Had Higher Energy Prices

On June 12, 2026, Interior Secretary Burgum claimed, “About half the states that went down this path where they overrated, where we are going to have an energy transition, where we are going to move from affordable, reliable, secure American energy, and were goign to rely on intermittent, highly subsuzided, weather dependent sources of energy,  they’ve got higher prices than the states that don’t.”

CLAIM: March 2026: President Trump Posted A Graphic Claiming Blue States Saw Higher Electricity Price Hikes Between 2019 And 2024

On March 23, 2026, President Trump posted a graphic on Truth Social that claimed “Blue States Led Biden Price Hikes,” and that blue states saw a 1.7 cent per kilowatt hour increase in real residential electricity prices between 2019 and 2024 while red states saw a 0.7 cent per kilowatt hour decrease in real residential electricity prices between 2019 and 2024.

CLAIM: March 2026: President Trump Posted A Graphic Claiming Blue States Had Higher Electricity Prices Than Red States In 2026ir

On March 23, 2026, President Trump posted a graphic on Truth Social that claimed “Blue States Drive High Electricity Prices.”

CLAIM: March 2026: President Trump Posted A Graphic Claiming Renewable Energy Policies Were Responsible For High Energy Prices In Blue States

On March 23, 2026, President Trump posted a graphic on Truth Social that claimed “Data Centers Are Not The Problem, blue state ‘renewable’ mandates and energy subtraction are!”

CLAIM: February 2026: Energy Secretary Wright Claimed That Electricity Costs In States With Renewable Portfolio Standards Were Higher Than In States Without Those Standards

On February 2, 2026, Energy Secretary Wright claimed, “We have 50 states, about 28 of them have renewable portfolio standards, with states goals and with sometimes laws to enforce them, to close coal plants and build more wind and solar. We have 22 states that don’t have those, they still build wind and solar if the math works. We have 50% higher electricity prices in the states with renewable portfolio standards than the states that don’t.”

CLAIM: August 2025: Trump Said That States That Relied On Wind And Solar Saw Increased Energy Costs

On August 20, 2025, Trump posted on Truth Social, claiming states with high wind and solar generation saw higher energy bills and that solar and wind generation harmed farmers.

CLAIM: Natural Gas Lowers Electricity Costs

FACT: Natural Gas Increased Electricity Costs

• Natural gas price volatility is a larger driver of electricity price spikes – the states most reliant on natural gas for electricity had the highest rate of retail price increases since 2020.
• Increased LNG exports in 2026 are projected to cause “higher prices for everybody, across the board.” Natural gas prices for energy production are projected to jump from an average of $2.20 per million British Thermal Units in 2024 to $4 per million British Thermal Units in 2025. These price hikes are driven by increasing U.S. LNG exports, which are projected to grow by 84% in the next four years. 
• 17 of the 22 states that generate a higher-than-average share of their power from wind and solar had below-average electricity prices in June 2025 according to data from the EIA.
• The 10 states with the lowest renewable energy deployment saw their energy prices increase in 2025, while the states with the highest percentage of wind and solar generation saw their prices fall.

CLAIM: February 2026: Energy Secretary Wright Claimed Natural Gas Stabilized The Grid And Lowered Prices

On February 18, 2026, Energy Secretary Wright claimed, “Increased natural gas production enables a more stable grid and lower prices for all Americans. President Trump has unleashed American energy production and the best is yet to come.”

CLAIM: Nuclear Energy Lowers Electricity Bills

FACT: Nuclear Energy Was More Expensive Than Renewable Energy

• Ratepayers have seen increased costs from nuclear power plants. The average Georgia Power homeowner is paying an extra $14 per month for the operation of Units 3 and 4 at Plant Vogtle. Only 10% of Plant Vogtle’s cost is being charged to large industrial power users. 
• Nuclear power generation is the most expensive to build and operate, with a levelized cost of energy between $141 per megawatt hour and $251 per megawatt hour. Comparatively, utility scale solar has a levelized cost of energy of $38 to $78 per megawatt hour, utility scale solar with storage has a levelized cost of energy of $50 to $131 per megawatt hour, onshore wind has a levelized cost of energy of $37 to $86 per megawatt hour, and onshore wind plus storage has a leelized cost of energy of $44 to $123 per megawatt hour.

CLAIM: February 2026: Energy Secretary Wright Claimed That Nuclear Energy Would Lower Electricity Bills

On February 17, 2026, Energy Secretary Wright claimed, “President Trump promised to unleash American energy and initiate an American nuclear renaissance. […] Ultimately, of course, it’ll drive it down. It’ll drive it down. I mean, the answer to energy is always more. If you have more energy, you have lower prices, more opportunity, more businesses, and higher wages.”

CLAIM: January 2026: Energy Secretary Wright Claimed Wind And Solar Increase Electricity Prices, And That Fossil Fuels And Nuclear Lower Electricity Prices

On January 31, 2026, Energy Secretary Wright claimed, “The more wind and solar you build, the higher your electricity prices are going to be. The more gas and nuclear and coal you build, the lower your electricity costs are going to be.”

CLAIM: President Biden’s Renewable Energy Policies Increased Electricity Prices

FACT: President Biden’s Policies Were Projected To Lower Energy Costs

• The Inflation Reduction Act would have saved the average American taxpayer $1,000 a year in energy costs by 2030. 
• The clean energy plan created the Home Efficiency Rebates program and the Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates programs, which would have helped low and middle-income homeowners lower energy costs.
• Clean energy tax credits for heat pump installations would have helped households save up to $1,200 per year on heating bills. Heat pumps were eligible for tax credits equal to 30% of costs, up to $2,000.
• Rooftop solar tax credits could have helped homeowners save about $400 a year and tens of thousands in utility bills across the lifetime of the solar system.  Tax credits were available for up to 30% of the cost of installation without a cap, with an average tax credit of about $3,700.
• The IRA’s tax credits were projected to lower the cost of wind and solar by 55% and 40%, respectively.

FACT: Energy Prices Have Risen Since President Trump Took Office

• The average U.S. household paid $116 more on its household electricity bills in 2025 than it did in 2024.
• Electric and gas utilities asked state regulators to approve record $31 billion in rate hikes in 2025, more than double the $15 billion in rate hikes they sought in 2024, according to a study from PowerLines.
• The EIA found that residential natural gas prices have increased by 118% since January 2025 and by 15% year-over-year. The cost of natural gas for electricity generation has increased 40% year-over-year.
• Across 13 states, residential customers saw their electricity prices rise by $17 to $27 per month this year, more than $300 a year in household energy costs. AI data centers are a major driver of rate hikes, with utility companies requesting $29 billion in rate hikes to respond to AI demand.
• Energy bills are rising nearly twice as fast as inflation, as AI data centers drive up demand and natural gas exports increase generation costs.
• Electricity price hikes are projected to outpace inflation through 2026 because growing electricity demand from data centers cannot be met with current electricity supplies. 

FACT: The Loan Programs Office Helped Lower Energy Costs

• The Loan Programs Office (LPO) provided nearly $23 billion in loan commitments to utility companies in the final days of the Biden administration, lowering financing costs for capital-intensive projects and allowing utilities to pass savings along to customers.
  • The LPO’s $3.5 billion conditional loan commitment to PacifiCorp for the installation of new high-voltage transmission was expected to save customers up to $1 billion due to the reduced cost of debt associated with LPO financing.
  • The LPO’s $1.6 billion conditional loan commitment to AEP Transmission Company would provide cost savings and improve reliability in Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, and West Virginia by rebuilding almost 5,000 miles of transmission lines.
  • The LPO’s $1.81 billion conditional loan commitment to Arizona Public Service Company would finance the utility’s investments in new transmission lines and renewable energy generation, saving customers $250 million over the lifetime of the project.

CLAIM: June 2026: Energy Secretary Wright Claimed That “Democratic Green Energy Policies” Were A Bigger Threat To Energy Prices Than The Iran War

On June 4, 2026, Energy Secretary Wright claimed, “The bigger threat to energy prices, in the United States is Democratic green energy policies. They have driven up energy prices far more than a conflict in Iran, and the conflict in Iran will come to an end.”

CLAIM: June 2026: Energy Secretary Wright Claimed That Democrat’s Green Policies Were A Bigger Cause For High Energy Prices Than The Iran War

On June 3, 2026, Energy Secretary Wright claimed, “But the bigger problem, the even bigger problem with gasoline prices and electricity and heating prices is Democrat green policies. They have done everything they can for 20 years to drive energy prices up and now they are upset about high energy prices.”

CLAIM: February 2026: Energy Secretary Wright Claimed That President Biden’s Energy Policies Were Responsible For The Current High Electricity Prices

On February 2, 2026, Energy Secretary Wright claimed, “What it is, of course, it’s adopting UK energy policies in the United States under President Biden and under President Obama before. We’ve had a tailwind of these things to drive up our energy prices.”

CLAIM: January 2026: Energy Secretary Wright Claimed The Department Of Energy’s Loans To Support Clean Energy Projects Would Not Have Lowered Costs

On January 27, 2026, Energy Secretary Wright claimed, “As you looked at that $100 billion that was committed to loans, precisely zero of it was going to do something that was going to lower the cost of energy for Americans or expand the production of reliable, affordable energy for Americans, it was driven really in the name of climate politics, the climate activists will celebrate less our activities, but American taxpayers and businesses will celebrate what we’re doing.”

CLAIM: December 2025: President Trump Claimed Affordability Was A Hoax And Democrats Caused Pricing Problems

On December 2, 2025, President Trump claimed, “Look, affordability is a hoax that was started by Democrats who caused the problem of pricing, and they didn’t end it when– look, they lost in a landslide. […] Look at energy, look at the gasoline prices. That’s like the simplest, and it’s the biggest, because if energy comes down, everything comes down, and that’s the way it works.”

CLAIM: Wind Energy Is Expensive

FACT: Wind Energy Is Cost-Competitive

• Onshore wind had the lowest levelized cost of energy (LCOE), a measure of the average total cost of building and operating a power generation asset per unit of electricity generated over the plant’s lifetime, ranging from $37 to $86 per megawatt-hour before accounting for federal tax credits. When adding federal tax credits, onshore wind’s LCOE ranged from $15 to $75 per megawatt-hour.
• States that have experienced the largest increases in wind and solar generation have not seen electricity rates grow faster than average, with several leaders in clean energy growth seeing residential electricity costs rise more slowly than inflation.
  • In Texas, the buildout of solar and wind energy reduced electricity costs by $11 billion in 2022 alone.
  • All but 6% of new energy capacity in Texas since 2020 has come from renewable energy sources and batteries, powering Texas’ recent economic boom.
• Natural gas price volatility is a larger driver of electricity price spikes – the states most reliant on natural gas for electricity had the highest rate of retail price increases since 2020.
• Globally, wind power is now 53% cheaper than the lowest-cost fossil fuel resources.

FACT: Wind Energy Generates Revenue For Local Communities

• Wind companies rank among the biggest taxpayers in many rural communities, contributing millions of dollars to local services. 
• State and county governments received $4,661,291,493 in tax revenue from wind and geothermal energy production in 2022.

CLAIM: July 2026: President Trump Claimed Wind Was Expensive

On July 6, 2026, President Trump claimed, “Wind is terrible. It just doesn’t work; it’s too expensive, no good, bad for the environment.”

CLAIM: May 2026: White House Spokesperson Claimed Wind Farms Were Expensive

On May 13, 2026, White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said, “For years, President Trump has been clear: hard-earned taxpayer dollars shouldn’t be wasted on unreliable and costly wind farms that simultaneously pose serious threats to our national security.”

CLAIM: March 2026: President Trump Claimed Wind Energy Was Expensive

On March 17, 2026, President Trump claimed, “But they have windmills all over the country, destroying those gorgeous Scottish fields and those beautiful fields all over, windmills, which don’t work. They’re tremendously expensive.”

CLAIM: January 2026: President Trump Claimed Wind Energy Was Expensive

On January 21, 2026, President Trump claimed, “Windmills all over the place. Destroy your land. Destroy your land. Every time that goes around, you lose a thousand dollars. You’re supposed to make money with energy, not lose money.” President Trump also claimed, “One thing I’ve noticed is that the more windmills a country has, the more money that country loses and the worse that country is doing.”

CLAIM: December 2025: President Trump Claimed Windmills Lost $15 “Every Time It Goes Around”

On December 9, 2025, President Trump claimed, “They wanted wind all over the place. You know, let’s go buy those windmills for millions of dollars each from China. Every time it goes around, you lose $15. Did you know that?”

CLAIM: September 2025: President Trump Again Claimed That Wind Was The Most Expensive Form Of Energy During His Remarks At The United Nations General Assembly

On September 23, 2025, President Trump claimed that wind energy was “the most expensive energy ever conceived.”

CLAIM: President Trump Claimed That Countries Relying On Wind Saw Higher Energy Prices, Angry Populations, And Bird Deaths

On September 7, 2025, President Trump claimed that countries with high wind energy generation had higher energy prices, angry populations, and lots of bird deaths. 

Clean Energy Harms Human Health

CLAIM: Battery Storage Systems Are Unsafe

FACT: Battery Storage Systems Are Safe

• Battery energy storage systems have safety features embedded at multiple levels of the system, including sensors or detectors for anomalies. 
• Due to stringent certification and regulation requirements, even rare fires at energy storage facilities in the U.S. haven’t caused any deaths. 

FACT: Battery Energy Storage Systems Replace Gas-Fired Peaker Plants, Which Negatively Impact Local Health

• Battery energy storage systems are a competitive alternative to gas-fired peaker plants. 
• Most peaker plants are over 50 years old and lack modern pollution controls. They generate higher rates of pollutants in local communities despite only generating during periods of peak demand.

CLAIM: August 2025: EPA Administrator Zeldin Claimed Battery Energy Storage Systems Were Unsafe

On August 18, 2025, EPA Administrator Zeldin held a press conference where he argued that battery energy storage systems were unsafe.

CLAIM: Wind Farms Harm Human Health

FACT: Wind Farms Have No Adverse Health Impacts

• Sound from wind turbines does not pose a risk of hearing loss, nor does it impact human health.
• There is no evidence that offshore wind projects harm health.
  • Secretary Kennedy Jr. has repeatedly claimed that subsea cables used in offshore wind farms emit an electromagnetic field that harms people, but those fields are also emitted by household appliances with no evidence of harm to human health.

FACT: Wind Farms Are Quiet

• Onshore wind turbines generally produce 35-45 decibels of sound at the closest distance from a home or building, which is less noise than a refrigerator (50 decibels) or average city car traffic (70 decibels).

CLAIM: March 2026: President Trump Claimed Wind Farms Were Noisy

On March 17, 2026, President Trump claimed, “I’m proudly telling you that we’re going to try and have no windmills built in the United States during my period. because they’re very bad. […] They make a lot of noise”

CLAIM: December 2025: President Trump Claimed Wind Farm Noise Harmed Sleep And Mental Health

On December 30, 2025, President Trump posted a screenshot on Truth Social from an article claiming that wind farm noise harmed sleep and mental health.

CLAIM: October 2025: Secretary of Health and Human Services Kennedy Jr. Started A Probe On The Human Health Impacts Of Offshore Wind

On October 28, 2025, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kennedy Jr. directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate the harms of offshore wind farms.

Clean Energy Harms Landowners

CLAIM: Wind Energy Harms Landowners

FACT: Landowners Benefit From Wind Energy

• Renewable energy supports landowners:
  • Wind and solar deliver over $2.9 billion each year in state and local tax payments and landowner lease payments to local communities. 
  • In 2021, the clean power industry paid $1.3 billion to landowners across the U.S.
  • Clean energy leases provided a key source of income for farmers, representing as much as 6 percent of gross cash income for farmers in Pennsylvania and Oklahoma.
  • Farmers received between $3,000 and $7,000 annually for leasing the small area of land needed for each wind turbine.
• Renewable energy benefits farmers:
  • Renewable energy is a “lifeline” for farmers because it provides steady income and affordable power, which guarantees income even when crop prices fall or drought strikes.
  • Some farmers adopted agrivoltaics, which let them grow crops beneath solar panels, which is generating a second income path for them.

CLAIM: January 2026: President Trump Claimed Wind Energy Harmed Landowners

On January 21, 2026, President Trump claimed, “Windmills all over the place. Destroy your land. Destroy your land. Every time that goes around, you lose a thousand dollars. You’re supposed to make money with energy, not lose money.”

Clean Energy Harms National Security

CLAIM: Clean Energy Had Supply Chain Security Issues

FACT: Clean Energy Is Made In The U.S.

• Clean energy is insulated from supply chain disruptions; once solar and wind projects are installed, they do not need further inputs to operate.
• The U.S. can produce all major components of the solar energy supply chain.
• As of April 2026, the U.S. could manufacture 66.6 gigawatts of solar modules, enough to supply the majority of American demand in 2026.
• 57% of battery cells and 84% of battery packs in plug-in EVs sold between 2010 and 2021 were produced in the U.S., according to a report from the Argonne National Laboratory. And, the U.S. has enough lithium under the Salton Sea to supply 375 million EV batteries, according to a study from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
• Because clean energy generates power from sunlight and wind, they are insulated from volatility in global markets.
• Clean energy can be generated across the U.S. and directly connected to the electricity grid.
• Clean energy generation is decentralized, which makes it more resilient to external factors than traditional fossil fuel generation.

FACT: Fossil Fuel Supply Chains Are A National Security Risk

• The North Atlantic Treaty Organization estimated that 3,000 U.S. troops were killed or wounded from 2003 to 2007 by attacks on water and fuel convoys in Iraq and Afghanistan. 
• Throughout history, oil and gas CEOs have helped keep dictators and warlords in power. Continuing to rely on fossil fuels and ignore the climate crisis will only worsen global instability and leave us vulnerable to sudden price spikes.
• Political scientists who have studied autocratic regimes have found over and over again that oil wealth has helped enable dangerous regimes in the developing world.

CLAIM: April 2026: Interior Secretary Burgum Claimed Solad Had Supply Chain Security Issues

On April 21, 2026, Interior Secretary Burgum claimed, “Burgum responded that solar has ‘supply chain security’ issues and compared the industry’s reliance on imported parts to concerns about Chinese technology giant Huawei.”

CLAIM: Clean Energy Interferes With Radar

FACT: Offshore Wind Farms Don’t Impact Radar

• The Defense Department has operated a clearinghouse since 2011 to ensure offshore and onshore wind sites do not interfere with military radar. Revolution Wind’s site was chosen after consultation with the Defense Department to ensure minimal impact on radar interference.
• Radar interference challenges are easily solved through software upgrades and training. 

CLAIM: June 2026: Interior Secretary Burgum Claimed Wind Energy Would Make Drone Attacks Undetectable

On June 11, 2026, Interior Secretary Burgum claimed, “All you have to do is pay attention to the way the wars are being fought today it’s autonomous on autonomous a lot of at low altitude these wind towers that President Trump has worked to try to stop, the towers themselves can be 600 ft. The blades are 250 on top of that, you could launch an attack on the US in the northeast in our most populous area with a bunch of autonomous drones coming through a wind tower field which cover thousands if not tens of thousands of miles. That level of attack would be undetectable until it was, came through because the radar interference and then we know that there’s autonomous undersea activity going on now that’s happening in the Gulf with advances in technology on all sides. The sonar, the vibration of running the wind towers affects the undersea sonar. So, it’s a huge national security threat.”

CLAIM: June 2026: Interior Secretary Burgum Claimed Windmills Caused Radar Interference And Opened The U.S. To Drone Attacks

On June 3, 2026, Interior Secretary Burgum claimed, “If you wanted to attack New England if you want to attack our most populous cities you wouldn’t hijack a plane and fly it into a skyscraper anymore. You would launch a set of drones and they would come through those wind farms, you know, at our population centers and we wouldn’t know they were there until they came through the other side because those, they’re 600 feet high, those towers out in the ocean, taller than the Space Needle. And then the blades are 250 ft long, just one of them, and you know, 83 meters. So you got that thing spinning at 100 miles an hour. It’s radar interference. And then underwater. Now we know that, you know, in the Strait of Hormuz there’s, we’ve got autonomous drones operating underwater. If you have sonar interference, it affects that form of warfare as well. And so these are real national security risks. Secretary of War, you know, put out a concern statement.”

CLAIM: February 2026: Interior Secretary Burgum Said Offshore Wind Farms Interfered With Radar

On February 3, 2026, Interior Secretary Burgum claimed, “But the issue here is twofold, and the issue in the court is about national security, because the Department of War issued a report in December. When these wind farms are operating, they create tremendous radar interference that could represent a tremendous threat, particularly off our highly populated northeast coast, new evidence that that the humming sound from them underwater on these huge towers that go down underwater, could also interfere with sonar interference, which could lead for underwater and of course, it’s not just the old days we worried about Russian subs.”

CLAIM: Wind Energy Undermines Search And Rescue Operations

FACT: Offshore Wind Does Not Impact Offshore Search And Rescue

• Chris Boyer, the executive director of the National Association for Search and Rescue, said that there is “no history” of wind farms interrupting search and rescue missions.
  • Pilots are already trained to work in tight spaces, including near onshore wind farms.
• Boyer said the claim was “sowing fear, uncertainty, and doubt” all for a “disingenuous” attack on wind energy.

CLAIM: September 2025: Lawyers For The U.S. Department Of The Interior Claimed Wind Energy Undermined Search And Rescue Operations

On September 22, 2025, lawyers for the U.S. Department of the Interior claimed that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management underestimated the impact of wind turbines on search and rescue operations when it approved the Maryland Offshore Wind Project.

CLAIM: Wind Energy Was Not A National Security Threat

FACT: Offshore Wind Is Not A National Security Threat

• The Defense Department has operated a clearinghouse since 2011 to ensure offshore and onshore wind sites do not interfere with military radar.
  • Revolution Wind’s site was chosen after consultation with the Defense Department to ensure minimal impact on radar interference.
• Radar interference challenges are also easily solved through software upgrades and training. 
• There is no currently identified threat of swarm attacks from undersea drones. Kirk Lippold, an analyst who was serving as commander the USS Cole when it was attacked by al Qaeda suicide bombers, called concerns about undersea drone attacks a “ specious argument.”

CLAIM: May 2026: White House Spokesperson Claimed Wind Farms Were A National Security Threat

On May 13, 2026, White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said, “For years, President Trump has been clear: hard-earned taxpayer dollars shouldn’t be wasted on unreliable and costly wind farms that simultaneously pose serious threats to our national security.”

CLAIM: September 2025: Secretary Of The Interior Burgum Claimed That Offshore Wind Caused Radar Interference And Was Vulnerable To Attack From “Undersea Drones”

On September 2, 2025, Secretary of the Interior Burgum claimed that offshore wind was a national security threat because it caused radar interference and was vulnerable to a “theoretical swarm attack from ‘undersea drones.’

CLAIM: Wind Energy Interfered With Radio Communications

FACT: Wind Turbines Don’t Interfere With Radio Signals

• There is no evidence that any of the over 75,000 wind turbines operating in the U.S. interfered with highway or railroad radio communications. 
• The Association of American Railroads was “unaware of any instances of interference with rail communication system,” according to a spokesperson.
• The report Duffy cited in his announcement was based on older-model turbines that had metal parts in the blades, unlike current blades that are made from wood and composites to minimize their impact on radio signals. 
• The report Duffy cited did not recommend an across-the-board setback, nor did it study the impact of wind turbines on highway radio.

CLAIM: August 2025: Transportation Secretary Duffy Claimed Wind Energy Interfered With Radio Communication

On July 29, 2025, Transportation Secretary Duffy unveiled a new policy requiring a 1.2-mile setback for wind turbines from railroads and highways, citing potential radio interference.

Clean Energy Harms Wildlife

CLAIM: Wind Energy Kills Birds

FACT: Wind Turbines Are Not A Large Threat To Birds

• Only a tiny proportion of bird deaths are from offshore wind; a UK study observed only six bird deaths from an offshore wind turbine in two years.
• Wind energy is responsible for less than 0.01% of human-caused bird fatalities.
• According to a University of Michigan study, “free-range cats kill roughly 1 billion birds per year, while collisions with buildings or other ‘unnatural habitat causes’ kill 365 million to 1 billion birds per year.” 
• The Trump administration will no longer penalize companies for accidentally killing birds under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, a win for oil and gas companies, who argued that the industry was “unfairly prosecuted” for accidental bird deaths. There are significantly more bird deaths from buildings, cats, or oil pits than wind turbines.

CLAIM: July 2026: President Trump Claimed Wind Was Bad For The Environment

On July 6, 2026, President Trump claimed, “Wind is terrible. It just doesn’t work; it’s too expensive, no good, bad for the environment.”

CLAIM: March 2026: President Trump Claimed Wind Farms Killed Birds

On March 17, 2026, President Trump claimed, “I’m proudly telling you that we’re going to try and have no windmills built in the United States during my period. because they’re very bad. They’re very bad environmentally. They kill the birds. They’re unsightly. They make a lot of noise. And for some reason, the environmentalists love windmills.”

CLAIM: February 2026: Interior Secretary Burgum Claimed Wind Farms Threatened Bald Eagles

On February 6, 2026, Interior Secretary Burgum claimed, “Unaffordable, unreliable & hazardous wind farms are on notice! @POTUS will not let Green New Scam projects run unchecked & threaten the safety of bald eagles. These birds are a symbol of American greatness & @Interior will enforce the law to protect them!”

CLAIM: January 2026: President Trump Claimed Wind Energy Killed Birds

On January 21, 2026, President Trump claimed, “They [windmills] killed the birds. They ruin our landscapes.”

CLAIM: December 2025 And January 2026: President Trump Posted On Truth Social Claiming Wind Turbines Killed An Eagle

On December 30, 2025, President Trump captioned a photo of a dead bird “Windmills are killing all of our beautiful Bald Eagles!” on Truth Social. On January 2, 2026, President Trump captioned a photo of a dead bird “Eagles going down!” and also shared a post saying, “Green energy company in the hot seat after bald eagles knocked out of the skies: foxnews.com/politics/green-ene” on Truth Social. On January 2, 2026, President Trump captioned a photo of birds flying near a wind turbine “Killing birds by the millions!” on Truth Social.

FACT: The Photos Were Not Of Bald Eagles Nor Taken In The U.S.

• The photos posted by President Trump were not of bald eagles.
  • The photo posted on January 2, 2026, showed a European red kite.
  • The photo posted on December 30, 2025, showed a falcon or a kestrel.
• The photos posted by President Trump were not taken in the U.S.
  • The photo posted on January 2, 2026, was taken in Spain.
  • The photo posted on December 30, 2025, was taken in Israel.

CLAIM: President Trump Claimed That Countries Relying On Wind Saw Higher Energy Prices, Angry Populations, And Bird Deaths

On September 7, 2025, President Trump claimed that countries with high wind energy generation had higher energy prices, angry populations, and lots of bird deaths. 

CLAIM: Wind Energy Harms Marine Life

FACT: Offshore Wind Does Not Harm Marine Life

• There is “no evidence” that offshore wind harms are linked to whale deaths, according to experts.
  • European countries with more offshore wind projects have not found higher concentrations of marine mammal deaths near offshore wind installations.
• “The right wing is concerned with marine life now that they’re trying to discourage renewables and promote oil and gas,” according to Sean Todd, the director of Allied Whale, a marine mammals research program at College of the Atlantic.
• Every documented right whale death in the past 25 years was caused by a ship strike or entanglement in fishing gear.
• Acoustic surveys used in offshore wind construction are about 1,000 times quieter than seismic arrays used by the petroleum sector.

CLAIM: August 2025: Secretary of Health and Human Services Kennedy Jr. Claimed That Offshore Wind Killed Marine Life

On August 26, 2025, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kennedy Jr. claimed that offshore wind killed marine life and was “wiping out” the Atlantic whale population.

Clean Energy Jobs

CLAIM: Factory And Construction Jobs Were Growing

FACT: U.S. Factory Construction Was Falling

• According to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, overall factory construction spending has fallen by 10% since President Trump’s election, from $238 billion in November 2024 to $214 billion in October 2025.
• Manufacturing employment has dropped by more than 108,000 jobs in 2025, with 8,000 manufacturing jobs lost in December 2025 alone.
• Capacity utilization at U.S. factories was only 75.6% in December 2025, below its average from 1972 to 2024. 
• None of the new factory announcements touted by the Trump administration have started operations, and most are still in the early planning stages.

FACT: Construction Job Growth Was Tied T Data Centers And Power Infrastructure

• Recent growth in construction jobs is tied to data centers and power infrastructure, not factories, which create fewer long-term jobs.

CLAIM: February 2026: President Trump Claimed A Spike In Construction Jobs Proved He Was Bringing Factories Back To The U.S.

On February 25, 2026, according to Politico, “President Donald Trump is seizing on a spike in construction jobs as proof that his push to lure factories back to the U.S. is working — and that an economic boom is on the horizon.”

CLAIM: February 2026: President Trump Claimed New Factory Construction Was Boosting Construction Jobs

On February 24, 2026, President Trump claimed, “A short time ago, we were a dead country. Now we are the hottest country anywhere in the world, the hottest. As thousands of new businesses are forming, as factories, plants, and laboratories are being built, we have added 70,000 new construction jobs in just a very short period of time. It’s getting bigger and bigger and stronger. Nobody can believe what they’re watching.”

CLAIM: January 2026: President Trump Claimed Factory Construction Was Up By 41%

On January 21, 2026, President Trump claimed, “Factory construction is up by 41% and that number is really going to skyrocket.”

CLAIM: Clean Energy Investments Cause Offshoring

FACT: Repealing Clean Energy Investments Caused Job Losses And Offshoring

• Since President Trump’s election, over 173,000 clean energy jobs have been lost or delayed across the U.S.
• Repealing clean energy investments was expected to cut 760,000 jobs by 2030.
• Clean energy companies are moving production abroad in response to the Trump administration’s policies:
  • In February 2025, Aspen Aerogels canceled plans to open a manufacturing facility in Georgia and instead announced it would increase production in China, calling the decision a “no-brainer.”

CLAIM: January 2026: President Trump Claimed Clean Energy Investments Caused Jobs To Be Sent Abroad

On January 21, 2026, President Trump claimed, “I’ve stopped the nation-wrecking energy policies that drive up prices while sending jobs and factories to the world’s worst polluters.”

Clean Energy Reliability

CLAIM: Clean Energy Isn’t Reliable

FACT: Clean Energy Is Reliable

• Renewables strengthen the grid not only by providing direct energy resources but also by providing so-called ancillary grid services – which are functions grid operators use to maintain operations (and reliability) beyond sufficient energy generation. These services include voltage control, frequency response, and ramping capabilities. 
• Studies show renewable energy sources are well-equipped to provide these ancillary services — sometimes even more effectively and efficiently than conventional fossil fuel generators.
  • A NREL, First Solar, and California ISO (CAISO) study found that solar projects with inverter controls were able to provide ancillary  “services that range from spinning reserves, load following, voltage support, ramping, frequency response, variability smoothing and frequency regulation to power quality.” 
  • A similar study conducted on a wind farm confirmed that using smart inverter controls, wind power plants can “provide balancing or regulation up and down, voltage regulation control, active power control through ramping capability, and frequency response.” 
  • Xcel subsidiary Public Service Company of Colorado has been using wind resources for a decade to provide ancillary reliability services to the grid.

FACT: Battery Technology Allows Wind And Solar Energy To Be Deployed At All Hours

• Energy storage technologies allow clean energy to be deployed around the clock, no matter the weather conditions. 
• Energy storage is growing rapidly in the U.S.:
  • The U.S. is projected to add over 18 gigawatts of new utility-scale energy storage capacity to the grid in 2025, up from the record-setting total of nearly 11 gigawatts in 2024.
  • By the end of 2026, the U.S. is expected to more than double its utility-scale battery storage, reaching nearly 65 GW. Large-scale battery storage sources in the commercial and industrial sectors are expected to rise from about 100 MW to 300 MW by the end of 2026. 
• The overwhelming majority of new solar projects in Western interconnection queues also include co-located energy storage.
• Battery storage is also cheap; costs dropped by nearly 20 percent in 2024.

FACT: Clean Energy Can Provide Baseload Power

• The IEA considers offshore wind a baseload power source.
  • Offshore wind has a similar capacity factor as efficient gas-fired power plants. 
  • Although output can fluctuate based on wind strength, offshore wind has lower variability compared to other renewable sources.
• Offshore wind projects are critical to ensuring reliability. Grid operators have already planned to use energy from under-construction offshore wind farms to meet increasing energy demand.
  • ISO New England, which operates the electrical grid in New England, said delaying offshore wind projects, like Revolution Wind, increases risks to grid reliability.

CLAIM: July 2026: Energy Secretary Wright Claimed Democrats’ Policies Threatened Grid Stability

On July 7, 2026, Energy Secretary Wright claimed, “You will see an end to the rise of the electricity prices and our pragmatic policies will keep the lights on and keep the air conditioners running this summer, but it will be a massive challenge given 17 years of democrat policies degrading the quality of our electric grid.”

CLAIM: January 2026: President Trump Repeatedly Claimed Clean Energy Was Not Reliable

On January 21, 2026, President Trump repeatedly attacked clean energy in a speech at the World Economic Forum. President Trump claimed, “Instead of building ineffective, money losing windmills, we’re taking them down and not approving any.” President Trump also claimed, “Instead of building ineffective, money losing windmills, we’re taking them down and not approving any.” President Trump also claimed, “Because of my landslide election victory, the United States avoided the catastrophic energy collapse which befell every European nation that pursued the Green New Scam. Perhaps the greatest hoax in history. The Green New Scam.”

CLAIM: September 2025: Secretary Of Energy Wright Claimed That Wind And Solar Energy Infrastructure Was Worthless At Night And When The Wind Wasn’t Blowing

On September 5, 2025, Secretary of Energy Wright claimed that wind and solar energy were worthless at night and in periods of low wind.

CLAIM: August 2025: EPA Administrator Zeldin Claimed Wind Was Not A Baseload Power Source

On August 23, 2025, EPA Administrator Zeldin claimed that offshore wind couldn’t power AI infrastructure as it was not a baseload power source. 

CLAIM: Renewables Produced Little Power During A Mid-Atlantic Heatwave In Summer 2026

FACT: Energy Secretary Wright Posted The Energy Mix At 7 AM, Before Peak Heat And Peak Solar Generation

• 7 am is not peak demand.
  • Energy Secretary  Wright said it himself: “As we approach peak electricity demand.” 

FACT: Renewables Helped Keep The Lights On During The Heatwave

• Renewable energy sources helped keep the lights on by providing additional grid capacity.
  • Solar output was “consistently high” during peak “high-demand periods,” according to Michael Goggin, executive vice president at the consulting firm Grid Strategies.

CLAIM: July 2026: The Department Of Energy Claimed Coal, Gas, And Nuclear Kept The Power On During The July Mid-Atlantic Heat Wave, With Wind And Solar Providing Just 6%

On July 20, 2026, the Department of Energy posted, “During a recent summer heat wave across the Mid-Atlantic, coal, natural gas, and nuclear power kept the lights and air conditioners on. The most valuable energy sources show up when you need them most,” alongside a graphic claiming that coal, gas, and nuclear provided more than 87 percent of the region’s electricity during the July 2-3 heat wave, while wind and solar provided just 6 percent.

CLAIM: July 2026: Energy Secretary Wright Claimed Renewables Did Not Keep Power On During The Mid-Atlantic Heatwave In Summer 2026

On July 2, 2026, Energy Secretary Wright claimed, “As we approach peak electricity demand in the 13-state Mid-Atlantic region, at 7am this morning less than six percent of electricity generation was coming from renewables. Over 91 percent of generation is coming from gas, nuclear and coal—keeping our air conditioners blasting.”

CLAIM: Heating Losses During Previous Winter Storms Were Caused By Clean Energy

FACT: Heating Losses During Recent Winter Storms Were Caused By Fossil Fuel Generation Failures

• Reuters, January 2026: Power plant outages surge in Eastern US amid restricted gas supplies and frigid weather.
  • PJM Interconnection reported nearly 21 gigawatts of generation outages during the brunt of Winter Storm Fern on the afternoon of January 25, 2026. 
  • The Eastern seaboard’s natural gas pipeline network is “historically constricted” during extended periods of cold weather.
  • ISO New England was forced to rely on oil-fired power plants for nearly 40% of its grid output in the afternoon of January 25, 2026, due to limited natural gas availability.
• Offshore wind projects in the Northeast would have provided enough energy supply to reduce the number of days where energy demand passed the “danger threshold” by over 75%.
• Natural gas supplies were expected to be disrupted during Winter Storm Fern, with analysts predicting that more than 10% of U.S. natural gas production would be literally frozen during the storm.
• Recent gas plant failures took place above the minimum temperature at which the gas plant was designed to operate.
  • 81% of freeze-related outages at gas plants during Winter Storm Uri in 2021 happened when the temperature was above the minimum ambient temperature rating.
  • 75% of freeze-related outages during Winter Storm Elliott in 2022 happened when the temperature was above the minimum ambient temperature rating.
• Gas plants are more susceptible to fuel supply issues than other fossil fuel plants because they depend on real-time delivery from pipelines.
  • Five recent winter storms caused gas supply issues, as cold weather blocked the flow of gas.
  • Supply cutoffs occurred even when the production didn’t decrease because of higher gas demand from end users other than power plants.

FACT: Fossil Fuel Plant Failures Were Responsible For Heat Losses During Winter Storm Uri

• Winter Storm Uri in 2021 was responsible for 246 deaths, two-thirds of which were due to hypothermia.
• Heating outages during Winter Storm Uri were caused by failures at coal and gas plants:
  • Coal and gas plants comprised 73% of the power generation capacity that experienced unplanned outages during the winter storm.
  • 31% of the outages during Winter Storm Uri were caused by fuel issues, which renewable energy sources do not require.
  • Texas power plants and gas infrastructure weren’t sufficiently winterized to withstand the extreme cold temperatures the state experienced.
  • 81% of freeze-related outages at gas plants during Winter Storm Uri in 2021 happened when the temperature was above the minimum ambient temperature rating.
• Texas’s grid was stable during Winter Storm Fern in January 2026 in large part due to new energy storage projects in the state, which provided power in times when it’s harder to meet demand.
• When an arctic cold front hit Texas in February 2025, the state experienced record-breaking electricity demand. However, Texas’ solar infrastructure was able to meet these demands.
  • On February 16, 2025, solar provided over 48% of total electricity demand for ERCOT customers. 
  • On February 28, 2025, solar provided more than 51% of the electricity demand for ERCOT customers. 

CLAIM: June 2026: Energy Secretary Wright Claimed Hundreds Of Americans Would Have Died During 2026 Winter Storms If President Trump Did Not Keep Coal Plants Open

On June 5, 2026, Energy Secretary Wright claimed, “WRIGHT: Just think of the direct impact on human lives If President Trump had not been elected and inaugurated in January of 2025 and through his authority at the DOE we were able to force keeping open six coal plants. As of today there’ll be a seventh one, and more than twice as many that voluntarily said, ‘Hey, if we’re not going to have to close. We need to stay open.’ 17 coal plants were not closed in 2025 because of President Trump sitting at this desk and in this position right here. That saved 17 gigawatts of electric generating capacity, and the winter storm Fern that hit our country in the last week of January this year, hundreds, conservatively, hundreds of Americans would have lost their lives if those 17 coal plants had closed. We pushed the East Coast electricity grid in the United States absolutely to the limit.”

CLAIM: January 2026: Energy Secretary Wright Claimed President Trump’s Orders To Keep Coal Plants Online Saved American Lives

On January 29, 2026, Energy Secretary Wright claimed, “And President Trump’s effort to keep coal plants open has, in the last few days, has likely saved hundreds of American lives. We had a much smaller cold front during the Biden administration. We lost over 200 American lives because power went down, heating went out. The Trump administration, we’ve saved 17 gigawatts of coal plants to keep them open. Natural gas, coal, and nuclear, in that order, have been the key workhorses to keep the lights on at these peak demand times.”

CLAIM: Natural Gas Stabilizes The Electricity Grid

FACT: Natural Gas Is Unreliable

• Coal and gas plants are extraordinarily complex, with numerous moving parts, which increases the risk of failure in extreme environments.

• Climate change poses risks to virtually every aspect of fossil fuel production, transmission, and distribution. 
• Coal plants break down more frequently than gas, hydropower, or nuclear, with an 11.4% average unplanned outage rate. Coal also has the highest “equipment-related outage rate” of all generation sources.

CLAIM: February 2026: Energy Secretary Wright Claimed Natural Gas Stabilized The Grid And Lowered Prices

On February 18, 2026, Energy Secretary Wright claimed, “Increased natural gas production enables a more stable grid and lower prices for all Americans. President Trump has unleashed American energy production and the best is yet to come.”

CLAIM: Solar Energy Is Unrelaible In Winter

FACT: Solar Energy Is Reliable Year Round, Even In Northern States

• Grid operator ISO New England found that residential solar panels strengthened the regional electric grid during winter months by reducing the need for backup oil generation.
• Solar panels generate electricity, even in below-freezing temperatures, because they use light, not heat, to generate electricity.

CLAIM: Energy Secretary Wright Again Calimed That Solar Was Irrelevant In The Winter

On June 12, 2026, Energy Secretary Wright claimed, “Peak demand times are more and more going to the winter. Solar is irrelevant in the winter.”

CLAIM: June 2026: Interior Secretary Burgum Claimed Solar Didn’t Make Sense In Northern Parts Of The Country Because Of Clouds

On June 12, 2026, Interior Secretary Burgum claimed, “With the Working Family Tax Cuts, weelimiated these egregiously large and ineffective taxpayer subsidies for things like offshore wind or solar projects in places where it didn’t make sense, like the northern part of the country where there is less sunlight and more clouds.”

CLAIM: June 2026: Energy Secretary Wright Claimed That Solar Was Irrelevant In Winter

On June 4, 2026, Energy Secretary Wright claimed, “Solar’s irrelevant in the winter, so the things we talk about didn’t even matter to our electricity grid except for cost burdens.”

CLAIM: May 2026: Energy Secretary Wright Claimed That Solar Energy “Is Not Very Helpful” In Winter

On May 23, 2026, Energy Secretary Wright claimed, “We have a lot of solar still coming on and, if you pair it with batteries and meaningful amount of storage, it can help with demand load peaks at least in the summertime. Not very helpful in the wintertime in northern states.”

CLAIM: Wind And Solar Underperform Their Capacity Potentials

FACT: Energy Secretary Wright Misunderstands Capacity Factors

• Capacity measures the amount of electricity a generator can produce when running at full power.  Plants rarely run at full capacity; a power plant’s capacity factor measures the actual generation relative to the maximum it could generate in a given period.
• Per the U.S. Department of Energy, wind and solar performed well relative to their capacity factors during Winter Storm Fern.
  • Wind has a capacity factor of 34.3% per the U.S. Department of Energy.
  • Solar has a capacity factor of 23.4% per the U.S. Department of Energy, higher.
• Grid operators often “turn down” power from wind and solar when they’re generating more power than the grid needs.

CLAIM: February 2026: Energy Secretary Wright Claimed That Wind And Solar Underdelivered From Their Capacity Potential During Winter Storm Fern

On February 7, 2026, Energy Secretary Wright claimed, “During the recent winter storm, solar underdelivered by 89% and wind by 77% relative to their ‘capacity potential.’ Affordable, reliable and secure energy sources closed the capacity gap when intermittent sources couldn’t deliver power for Americans when it was needed the most.”

CLAIM: Wind Energy Isn’t Reliable

FACT: Offshore Wind Energy Was A Reliable Energy Source

• Offshore wind is a reliable energy source, especially during the winter months.
  • Ocean winds in the Northeast are strongest and steadiest during the winter months.
• Wind turbines can generate electricity at -4 Fahrenheit, and some turbines are designed to operate at temperatures as low as -22 Fahrenheit.
• A PJM analysis found that offshore wind turbines are a more reliable source of power than gas turbines during winter months.
• Offshore wind projects in the Northeast would have provided enough energy supply to reduce the number of days where energy demand passed the “danger threshold” by over 75%.
• Wind helped meet surging demand during the December 2022 cold snap:
  • Ample solar and wind generation helped meet surging demand across the U.S. 
  • Comparatively, natural gas plants went down across the East Coast, causing grid operators to declare a system-wide emergency and ask consumers to minimize power use. 
• Offshore wind is also reliable during winter storms:
  • Despite wind speeds that exceeded 70 mph during 2017’s Winter Storm Stella, Block Island Wind Farm, America’s first offshore wind farm, remained operational.
• Between 2013 and 2017, wind and solar did not cause any electric reliability issues. 

CLAIM: May 2026: White House Spokesperson Claimed Wind Farms Were Unreliable

On May 13, 2026, White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said, “For years, President Trump has been clear: hard-earned taxpayer dollars shouldn’t be wasted on unreliable and costly wind farms that simultaneously pose serious threats to our national security.”

CLAIM: December 2025: Energy Secretary Wright Claimed That Offshore Wind Was Not A Reliable Energy Source

On December 6, 2025, Energy Secretary Wright claimed, “Offshore wind is proving too expensive, too unreliable and too dependent on taxpayer subsidies. Americans deserve energy that works when we need it, not just when the weather cooperates!”

CLAIM: October 2025: Energy Secretary Wright Claimed Wind Energy Didn’t Work In The Winter

On October 6, 2026, Energy Secretary Chris Wright claimed, “You don’t get wind power” during winter months. 

CLAIM: Wind Energy Underperforms In Cold Weather

FACT: Wind Energy Is Reliable During Extreme Cold

• A PJM analysis found that offshore wind turbines are a more reliable source of power than gas turbines during winter months.
• Offshore wind projects in the Northeast would have provided enough energy supply to reduce the number of days where energy demand passed the “danger threshold” by over 75%.
• Wind turbines can generate electricity at temperatures as low as -22 Fahrenheit.
• Offshore wind can meet baseload demand in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic during winter months because ocean winds are at their strongest and steadiest during the winter. 
• Offshore wind also performs best in winter mornings and evenings, the period of peak demand when people turn up the heat. 

CLAIM: June 2026: Interior Secretary Burgum Claimed Wind Didn’t Make Sense In Northern Parts Of The Country

On June 12, 2026, Interior Secretary Burgum claimed, “With the Working Family Tax Cuts, weelimiated these egregiously large and ineffective taxpayer subsidies for things like offshore wind or solar projects in places where it didn’t make sense, like the northern part of the country where there is less sunlight and more clouds.”

CLAIM: June 2026: Energy Secretary Wright Claimed That Wind Power “Disappeared” During 2026 Winter Storms

On June 4, 2026, Energy Secretary Wright claimed, “Wind power disappeared when the storm hit. Solar’s irrelevant in the winter, so the things we talk about didn’t even matter to our electricity grid except for cost burdens.”

CLAIM: January 2026: President Trump Claimed That Wind Was Not Effective During Extreme Cold

On January 29, 2026, President Trump claimed, “The windmills are all frozen by the way, you know that, right? They don’t turn, the windmills aren’t turning.”

CLAIM: Winter Storm Fern Demonstrated Clean Energy Was Unreliable

FACT: Clean Energy Overperformed During Winter Storm Fern

• Wind overperformed during Winter Storm Fern compared to impacted energy markets’ normal winter power mix; in the New England ISO service area, 9% of power from wind generation would be more than double the 4.1% from wind in 2025.
• New wind power capacity in New England, which the Trump administration has repeatedly attacked, would provide steady power in the winter when offshore winds are strongest and steadiest.
• Offshore wind projects in the Northeast would have provided enough energy supply to reduce the number of days where energy demand passed the “danger threshold” by over 75%.
• Grid operators often “turn down” power from wind and solar when they’re generating more power than the grid needs.
• Clean energy is reliable during extreme cold:
  • Solar panels generate electricity, even in below-freezing temperatures, because they use light, not heat, to generate electricity.
  • Wind turbines can generate electricity at temperatures as low as -22 Fahrenheit.
  • A PJM analysis found that offshore wind turbines are a more reliable source of power than gas turbines during winter months.
  • Offshore wind can meet baseload demand in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic during winter months because ocean winds are at their strongest and steadiest during the winter. 
  • Offshore wind also performs best in winter mornings and evenings, the period of peak demand when people turn up the heat. 

FACT: Fossil Fuels Are Not Reliable During Extreme Cold

• Equipment freezes were the top direct cause of gas plant outages during winter storms, followed by mechanical and electrical issues.
  • Equipment freezes occur when components of a facility, such as valves, water lines, inlet air systems, and sensing lines, freeze. Mechanical/electrical failures occur when cold temperatures affect plant wiring, valves, and seal materials.
• Recent gas plant failures took place above the minimum temperature where the gas plant was designed to operate.
  • 81% of freeze-related outages during Winter Storm Uri in 2021 happened when the temperature was above the minimum ambient temperature rating. 75% of freeze-related outages during Winter Storm Elliott in 2022 happened when the temperature was above the minimum ambient temperature rating.
• Gas plants are more susceptible to fuel supply issues than other fossil fuel plants because they depend on real-time delivery from pipelines.
  • All five storms analyzed in the report caused gas supply issues, as cold weather blocked the flow of gas. Supply cutoffs occurred even when the production didn’t decrease because of higher gas demand from end users other than power plants.
• Extreme cold also limits refinery capacity, further straining gas supply.

CLAIM: February 2026: Interior Secretary Burgum Claimed Wind And Solar Failed During Winter Storm Fern

On February 19, 2026, Interior Secretary Burgum claimed, “And during that storm, when coal was providing a quarter of the electricity, wind and solar was providing 2%. And it is so bad. We had wood and trash, were providing more electricity in New England during that storm than wind and solar were.”

CLAIM: February 2026: President Trump Claimed Wind And Solar Collapsed During Winter Storm Fern

On February 11, 2026, President Trump claimed, “During this vicious storm, and they had some really bad ones. Coal generation surged 31% while solar and wind totally collapsed. I’m not a big fan of those crazy windmills.”

CLAIM: February 2026: Energy Secretary Wright Claimed That Wind And Solar Were Not Helpful During Winter Storm Fern In New England

On February 6, 2026, Energy Secretary Wright claimed, “And unfortunately, wind and solar, that we’ve invested so much in, went on vacation when we needed them most. Real quick in New England at the very peak demand time, that is the design criterion for an electric grid, keep the lights on and homes warm at peak demand. At peak demand time, wind, solar and batteries provided 2% of the electricity in New England, well below the 3% provided by burning trash and wood.”

CLAIM: January 2026: The U.S. Department Of Energy Claimed Renewables Underperformed During Winter Storm Fern And Only Provided 10% Of Electricity

On January 31, 2026, the U.S. Department of Energy posted a graphic claiming that wind and solar provided 10% of power during Winter Storm Fern.

FACT: Clean Energy Overperformed Relative To Its Share Of The Overall Power Pool During Winter Storm Fern

• Wind outperformed during Winter Storm Fern compared to impacted energy markets’ normal winter power mix:
  • In the PJM service area, 9% of power from wind generation would be nearly double the average of 4.6% of total power from wind between December 2024 and February 2025.
  • In the New England ISO service area, 9% of power from wind generation would be more than double the 4.1% from wind in 2025.
• Solar outperformed or was on par with impacted energy markets’ normal winter power mix:
  • In the PJM service area, 1% of power from solar generation would be on par with the average of 1.5% of total power from solar between December 2024 and February 2025.

Data Centers

CLAIM: Data Centers Do Not Increase Energy Costs

FACT: Data Centers Are Increasing Utility Prices

• Mark Wolfe, executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, said American ratepayers will pay for data centers’ energy usage since they mostly rely on the nation’s electrical grid. 
• A report by energy research firm Wood Mackenzie found that the cost of infrastructure utilities needed to serve data centers and other large energy users would likely be spread to all ratepayers.
• AI data centers could cause a 70% increase in electric bills by 2029.
• A Harvard Electricity Law Initiative report found that for-profit utilities are using ratepayers to fund discounts to Big Tech: “Hiding subsidies for trillion-dollar companies in power prices increases utility profits by raising costs for American consumers.”
• According to the Washington Post, “Consumers in some regions of the country are facing higher electric bills due to a boom in tech companies building data centers that guzzle power and force expensive infrastructure upgrades.”
• A June 2025 Carnegie Mellon University analysis found that electricity bills were on track to rise by an average of 8% nationwide by 2030, and as much as 25% in places like Virginia because of data centers. 
• A study from Carnegie Mellon University estimated that data centers and cryptocurrency mining could lead to an 8% increase in the average U.S. electricity bill by 2030, potentially exceeding 25% in high-demand markets like central and northern Virginia.

CLAIM: July 2026: Energy Secretary Wright Said Data Center Developers Lowered Local Electricity Prices

On July 14, 2026, Energy Secretary Wright claimed, “They [data centers] are the easiest tool I have at the Department of Energy to stop the rise of electricity prices is to get a data center developer to  come into your community.”

CLAIM: June 2026: Energy Secretary Wright Claimed Data Centers Would Lower Electricity Prices

On June 24, 2026, Energy Secretary Wright claimed, “They’re [data centers] the biggest tool we have to stop the rise in electricity prices and ultimately to put us in a position to drive electricity prices down.”

CLAIM: June 2026: Energy Secretary Wright Claimed Data Centers Were The “Biggest Force” That Could Stop The Rise Of Electricity Prices

On June 10, 2026, Energy Secretary Wright, following a question on if data centers lower utility rates, claimed, “Yes. They are the biggest force we have right now to stop the rise of electricity prices and ultimately drive them down.”

CLAIM: May 2026: Energy Secretary Chris Wright Claimed That Data Centers Don’t Drive Up Electricity Prices And That They Would Lower Costs

On May 27, 2026, Energy Secretary Wright claimed, “The fear is that data centers drive up electricity prices, the reality is the opposite.”

CLAIM: May 2026: Interior Secretary Burgum Claimed Politicians Were Lying That Data Centers Were Responsible For Higher Electricity Costs

On May 11, 2026, Interior Secretary Burgum claimed, “I can’t get people excited about one degree of climate change, but, man, I can lie to them about why their electric bill went up. […] And I say lie, because there are elections occurring in states right now where people are running on the affordability of electricity, and there’s never been a data center built in their state, and there won’t be a data center, because these data centers are not going to go to places where you’ve got two to three times higher electricity.”

FACT: As Of May 2026, Every State Was Home To Data Centers

Data centers were planned or located in all 50 U.S. states:

• The Data Center Map identified multiple data centers in every U.S. state.

CLAIM: March 2026: EPA Administrator Zeldin Claimed Data Centers Would Provide “Significant Net Benefits” To Ratepayers

On March 25, 2026, EPA Administrator Zeldin claimed, “And we want these hyperscalers to be able to make these investments, and there are examples where some of these projects are resulting in significant net benefits to the rate payers in those communities. You take the $4 billion Google project in West Memphis, Arkansas, the state of Arkansas, and Entergy, that’s an over $1 billion net benefit to the Entergy rate payer to build that data center.”

CLAIM: February 2026: Interior Secretary Burgum Data Centers Hadn’t Increased Electricity Costs

On February 25, 2026, Interior Secretary Burgum claimed, “But no one’s electric bill has gone up because of a data center. It’s gone up because of the climate fantasy versus the energy reality of the past, both states and the past Biden administration.”

CLAIM: February 2026: Interior Secretary Burgum Claimed Data Centers Would Not Increase Electricity Costs

On February 23, 2026, Interior Secretary Burgum claimed, in a speech at the NGA conference that fossil fuel would support AI infrastructure and, “He rejected the idea that energy-hungry data centers are raising electricity prices. ‘It’s not true. States that don’t even have a data center are saying, ‘Oh it’s because of AI, our prices are going up,’’ he said. Instead, he blamed higher prices on ‘ideology’ that he said favors renewables over fossil fuels.”

CLAIM: February 2026: Energy Secretary Wright Claimed That Data Centers Would Lower Electricity Prices

On February 6, 2026, Energy Secretary Wright claimed, “WRIGHT: Data centers are actually a road to drive electricity prices down, not up. If you look over the last five years, the states with rapid demand growth are the states that have had no rise in electricity prices or rises well below the rate of inflation, states like New York and California and Massachusetts, they produce less electricity today than they did five years ago. Those are the states with very rapid rises in electricity prices. So data centers are a force for good, and President Trump’s common-sense energy agenda is going to allow us relatively rapidly to grow the production of electricity in this country as we sweep out so much of the nonsense that was left behind.”

CLAIM: February 2026: Energy Secretary Wright Claimed That Data Centers Had No Impact On Increasing Utility Costs

On February 2, 2026, in response to a question on how much of the national utility price hikes were caused by data centers, Energy Secretary Wright claimed, “Zero, in fact.”

CLAIM: January 2026: EPA Administrator Zeldin Claimed Utility Bills Did Not Rise Because Of Data Centers

On January 13, 2026, EPA Administrator Zeldin claimed, “President Trump is right. Monthly utility bills don’t have to rise due to data center development. Throughout my travels across the country, I’ve seen firsthand how this is being made possible with ratepayers receiving net BENEFITS (instead of net COSTS) due to how many of these projects are being put together.”

CLAIM: December 2025: Energy Secretary Wright Claimed Data Center Expansion Would Lower Energy Costs

On December 2, 2025, Energy Secretary Wright claimed, “When people say, ‘AI is going to drive up my price of electricity,’ it’s actually the opposite,’ said Wright, who has pushed for more quickly connecting data centers to the electric grid. ‘The way to get electricity prices down is to produce more electricity.’”

CLAIM: President Trump’s “Ratepayer Protection Pledge” Will Prevent Data Centers From Increasing Utility Bills

FACT: The Ratepayer Protection Pledge Won’t Protect American Families From Higher Utility Bills

• The power lines, fuel, natural gas turbines, critical minerals, vacant land, and other electric-grid essentials that data centers need will still be paid for by American families.
• The pledge is voluntary, and there are no enforcement provisions that would require tech companies to take steps to prevent raising utility bills.

CLAIM: March 2026: President Trump Claimed The Ratepayer Protection Pledge Would Lower Utility Bills

On March 23, 2026, President Trump claimed, in response to a question on the effectiveness of the Ratepayer Protection Pledge, “But they’re putting up a lot of money themselves to build their own electric, so they don’t take, actually, they’re contributing to you, so your electric bills are going to be going down, which is something nobody’s ever heard of before. Your bills are gonna be going down and very, very sharply.”

CLAIM: March 2026: President Trump Claimed Data Centers Would No Longer Increase Electricity Prices

On March 4, 2026, President Trump claimed, “That’s why the early ones [data centers], they hook up to the utility and they can’t produce the kind of numbers, electric wires, they want and they end up raising the rate, that’s not going to happen anymore. And now it’s going to go the opposite way. They’re going to make a lot of money and electric rates – we think they’re actually not going to stay high, I think they are actually gonna come down. Your electric bills will come down, it’ll take a while, but not long.”

CLAIM: March 2026: Energy Secretary Wright Claimed That The Ratepayer Protection Pledge Would Cause Energy Bills To Fall

On March 4, 2026, Energy Secretary Wright claimed, “In fact, Laura, I’ve got to point out, Indiana, just a few days ago, is the first state that that filed for a rate reduction request to their committee on electricity, and many other states have had multi year freezes in their electricity rates, and these are made possible by the US government, in partnership with these large data center developers to bring this AI, bring these investments, but bring with it, no price increase to Americans, ultimately, price decreases for Americans.”

CLAIM: February 2026: President Trump Claimed That His Ratepayer Protection Pledge Would Prevent Higher Rates Caused By Data Centers

On February 24, 2026, President Trump claimed, “Tonight, I’m pleased to announce that I have negotiated the new Ratepayer Protection Pledge. You know what that is? We’re telling the major tech companies that they have the obligation to provide for their own power needs. They can build their own power plants as part of their factory so that no one’s prices will go up. And in many cases, prices of electricity will go down for the community, and very substantially down. This is a unique strategy never used in this country before. We have an old grid that could never handle the kind of numbers, the amount of electricity that’s needed. So I’m telling them they can build their own plant, they’re going to produce their own electricity. It will ensure the companies’ ability to get electricity, while at the same time, lowering prices of electricity for you, and could be very substantial for all of you. Cities and towns, you’re going to see some good things happen over the next number of years.”

CLAIM: Gas Turbine Powered Data Centers Don’t Pollute

FACT: Gas Powered Data Centers Release Air Pollutants And Harm Local Health

• The power plants and backup generators needed to keep data centers running emit harmful air pollutants that can immediately damage human health, triggering asthma symptoms, heart attacks, and cognitive decline.
  • In 2023, air pollution from U.S. data centers was estimated to be responsible for $6 billion in public health damages.
    • Planned data centers were projected to drive $5.7 billion to $9.2 billion in annual public health costs from air pollution, cause 190,000 to 300,000 asthma symptom cases, and cause between 370 and 595 premature deaths each year. 
    • One in five data centers are located in communities already overburdened by environmental pollution. 
  • A June 2025 study found that power sector emissions were projected to increase by 30% by 2030 compared to scenarios without data center growth. 
  • In Virginia, data center growth drives increased fossil fuel use in nearby states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. 
• According to The Guardian, from 2020 to 2022, the pollution from the company-owned data centers of Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Apple were likely 662% higher than officially reported.
• Google’s carbon pollution rose by 51%, primarily driven by data centers needed to power artificial intelligence.
• In just 11 months, Elon Musk’s xAI data center in Memphis, TN, became one of the county’s largest emitters of smog-forming pollution in a predominantly Black neighborhood that already leads the state in asthma-related emergency room visits. 

CLAIM: March 2026: President Trump Claimed xAI’s Gas Powered Data Center Had No Health Impacts

On March 23, 2026, President Trump claimed, in response to a question from a reporter on xAI’s gas-powered turbines harming the environment, “Yeah, well, we get the turbines that really don’t throw off the fumes, and they’re really well-made, and they’re very expensive. The good ones are really expensive, but we’re insisting they use the ones that don’t throw off the fumes.”

FACT: The xAI Data Center In Memphis Is Harming Local Community Health

• In June 2025, the Southern Environmental Law Center threatened xAI with a lawsuit, alleging that xAI’s gas turbines were capable of producing more than 2,000 tons of harmful nitrogen oxide emissions.
  • Nitrogen oxide emissions pose significant health risks, including respiratory issues such as asthma and respiratory infections. 
  • In just 11 months after coming online, xAI became one of Shelby County’s largest emitters of the smog-producing pollutant. 
• Researchers found that peak nitrogen dioxide concentration levels increased by 79% in areas immediately surrounding the data center after it began operations.
  • Community members, including those in the nearby predominantly Black community of Boxtown, reported increased asthma attacks and respiratory issues since the facility opened.
  • xAI’s facility is located in an area whose air is already considered unhealthy by EPA standards due to smog, and leads the state in emergency department visits for asthma.  
• As of May 2025, none of the 35 methane gas turbines powering xAI’s facility were equipped with pollution controls, exposing nearby residents to higher concentrations of pollutants. 

Energy Prices

CLAIM: Energy Affordability Is A Hoax

FACT: Americans Are Facing An Affordability Crisis Because Of Trump’s Policies

• Energy bills are rising nearly twice as fast as inflation, as data centers drive up demand and natural gas exports increase generation costs.
  • Electricity price hikes are projected to outpace inflation through 2026 because growing electricity demand from data centers cannot be met with current electricity supplies. 
• Americans are expected to see their winter energy bills rise 7.6% to $976 on average.
  • Families that rely on natural gas for heating are expected to see an 8.4% jump in their heating bill this winter.
  • Families that rely on electricity for heating are expected to see a 10.2% increase in their heating bill this winter.

CLAIM: December 2025: President Trump Called Affordability A Hoax

On December 9, 2025, President Trump claimed, “Prices are coming down very substantially. But they have a new word. You know, they always have a hoax. The new word is affordability. So they look at the camera, and they say, ‘This election is all about affordability.’”

CLAIM: December 2025: President Trump Claimed Affordability Was A Hoax And Democrats Caused Pricing Problems

On December 2, 2025, President Trump claimed, “Look, affordability is a hoax that was started by Democrats who caused the problem of pricing, and they didn’t end it when– look, they lost in a landslide. […] Look at energy, look at the gasoline prices. That’s like the simplest, and it’s the biggest, because if energy comes down, everything comes down, and that’s the way it works.”

CLAIM: November 2025: President Trump Claimed “Affordability Is A Lie” And That Energy Costs Were Lower Under His Administration

On November 14, 2025, President Trump claimed, “Cost, and INFLATION, were far higher under the Sleepy Joe Biden Administration, than they are now. In fact, costs under the TRUMP ADMINISTRATION are tumbling down, helped greatly by gasoline and ENERGY. Affordability is a lie when used by the Dems. It is a complete CON JOB.”

CLAIM: November 2025: President Trump Claimed Energy Costs Had Halved Since He Returned To Office

On November 5, 2025, President Trump claimed, “The Democrats make it up because we took over a mess. Think of energy. Energy was so expensive, and now, I have it down to half what it was.” On November 7, President Trump also claimed, “Prices are down under the Trump administration, and they’re down substantially. Energy prices are down by 30, 35, 40%.”

CLAIM: November 2025: President Trump Claimed That Oil And Gas Costs Were Lower Under His Administration Than Under Democrats

On November 5, 2025, President Trump claimed, “My cost are lower than the Democrats on everything, especially oil and gas! So the Democrats ‘affordability’ issue is DEAD! STOP LYING!!!”

Energy Production

CLAIM: Energy Production Fell During The Biden Administration

FACT: Energy Generation Increased Every Year Of The Biden Administration

• Energy production grew every year during the Biden administration, driven by growth in renewable energy.
  • The U.S. produced more than 103 quadrillion British thermal units of energy in 2024, a 1% increase over the previous record set in 2023. Total renewable energy production also set a record in 2024, with solar and wind production increasing by 25% and 8%, respectively.
  • In 2023, the U.S. increased energy production by 4% year over year, generating nearly 103 quadrillion British thermal units. Solar energy increased by 15% year-over-year in 2023.
  • In 2022, the U.S. increased energy production by 3% year over year, generating 100.4 quadrillion British thermal units. 
  • In 2021, the U.S. increased energy production by 2.2%.

CLAIM: March 2026: Energy Secretary Wright Claimed Energy Production Did Not Increase During The Biden Administration

On March 5, 2026, Energy Secretary Wright claimed, “One of the worst things Washington, D.C. did during the Biden administration: drive up electricity prices 30%, no increase in electricity production, just higher prices, drove gasoline prices up dramatically.”

Electric Vehicles

CLAIM: There Was An EV Mandate

FACT: There Was Never An EV Mandate

• The Biden administration’s clean cars rule was “technology-neutral” and only required carmakers to meet stricter emission standards.
  • Manufacturers had full flexibility to decide how best to reduce emissions from their products.

FACT: Pro-EV Policies Increased Choices For American Consumers

• The U.S. EV market now has more than 50 unique models, and excess inventory is lowering prices, giving consumers more affordable options.

CLAIM: January 2026: President Trump Claimed He Ended The EV Mandate

On January 27, 2026, President Trump claimed, “I kept my promise to abolish the EV mandate, which would have obliterated ethanol.”

CLAIM: January 2026: President Trump Claimed Democrats Wanted To Force Americans To Have EVs

On January 13, 2026, President Trump claimed, “Among my first acts in office was to end the radical left war on oil and gas and stop the crusade on American energy and, frankly, to open up cars so you don’t have to have an electric car,” during a speech at the Detroit Economic Club. In the same speech, President Trump also claimed he “terminated the insane EV mandate and ended the war on internal combustion engines.” 

CLAIM: EV Charging Infrastructure Was Inaccessible

FACT: EV Charging Infrastructure Is Widely Available

• As of June 2026, there are over 250,000 public EV chargers in the U.S. at 80,531 locations.
  • The U.S. added over 3,000 fast EV chargers in the first quarter of 2026.
• The number of public EV chargers doubled between 2020 and 2024, with 207,000 public charging ports available as of December 2024.
  • As of October 2024, drivers in 61 percent of the most heavily trafficked corridors could access a charger every 50 miles, up from 38 percent in 2021.
  • In May 2025, there were about 55,200 fast chargers in the United States, up from 42,200 in May 2024. 

CLAIM: June 2026: President Trump Claimed EV Charging Infrastructure Was Not Available In Remote Areas

On June 23, 2026, President Trump claimed, “And they’ll make you put electric on it, you know, electric so that when you’re in the middle of a jungle someplace and you need a charge. Where’s my charging booth? As opposed to carrying a nice tank of diesel on your back, throwing it in and take it off, right? Where’s my charging booth?”