More than 100 employees at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Golden campus were laid off Monday following federal energy funding cuts under the Trump administration.
“NREL continues to navigate a complex financial and operational landscape shaped by the issuance of stop work orders from federal agencies, new federal directives, and budgetary shifts,” an NREL spokesperson said.
“As a result, NREL has experienced workforce impacts affecting 114 employees across the laboratory, including staff from both research and operations, who were involuntarily separated today. We appreciate their meaningful contributions to the laboratory. NREL’s mission continues to be critical to achieve an affordable and secure energy future. We are grateful for the dedication and commitment of our staff as we continue to advance the laboratory’s work.”
Last week, President Donald Trump’s administration proposed slashing billions of dollars in federal funding for next year, targeting projects such as renewable energy research and eliminating programs designed to combat climate change.
The energy budget proposal will cancel over $15 billion in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) Green New Deal funding proposed for “unreliable renewable energy, removing carbon dioxide from the air, and other costly technologies that burden ratepayers and consumers.”
The White House Office of Management and Budget stated in a May 2 news release that the budget “reorients Department of Energy funding toward research and development of technologies that could produce an abundance of domestic fossil energy and critical minerals, innovative concepts for nuclear reactors and advanced nuclear fuels, and technologies that promote firm baseload power.”
They further stated the budget will also cancel an additional $5.7 billion in IIJA funding provided to the Department of Transportation for “failed” electric vehicle charger grant programs.
NREL has over 3,500 employees, postdoctoral researchers, interns, visiting professionals and subcontractors, according to its website.It wasn’t clear on Monday how many of those employees work out of the Golden campus.
Get more business news by signing up for our Economy Now newsletter.
Originally Published:
