Trump Administration's Energy Policies Hike Up Energy Costs for Families

U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich, Ranking Member on the U.S. Energy and Natural Resources Committee, released fact sheets outlining how the Trump Administration's actions and policies raise utility costs for cash-strapped American families. Since Trump's inauguration, the administration has taken actions to hamstring the clean energy sector, from halting and revering the approvals of clean energy projects to passing the "Big Bad Bill," which sunsets critical tax incentives for the energy sector, raising energy costs nationwide. The Trump Administration's policies will increase electricity prices across the board, with national top lines showing a 9-18% increase, while jeopardizing up to 760,000 jobs by 2030 and an additional 700,000 jobs by 2035.

Key Takeaways:

The Trump Administration's actions and policies will increase energy costs for American families, with national top lines showing a 9-18% increase.
The "Big Bad Bill" will jeopardize up to 760,000 jobs by 2030 and an additional 700,000 jobs by 2035.
The Trump Administration has canceled 24 projects from the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED), resulting in a loss of 25,000 jobs and $4.6 billion in economic output.
President Trump's tariffs on clean energy equipment have increased energy project costs, driving up the cost of fuels and grid equipment, and likely to be passed on to consumers through higher electricity rates.
Proposed budget cuts to Department of Energy programs will raise costs for vulnerable Americans, with nearly 80 million Americans struggling to pay their utility bills.
The Trump Administration's coal agenda is expanding, with a new DOE Resource Adequacy Report and incentives for coal in the OBBB keeping coal on the grid and in the spotlight.
The Trump Administration's fuel costs are increasing due to the expansion of coal resources, and aging infrastructure.
Energy Innovation estimates that 99% of U.S. coal plants are more expensive to operate than it would be to shut them down and replace them with nearby solar, wind, and battery storage.
Consumers Energy has already invested in alternative energy sources like gas-fired plants and solar energy to replace the Campbell plant's power.
The Trump administration's emergency order allows Consumers Energy to recover the costs of keeping the plant open but may pass on costs to ratepayers through rate increases.

Statistics:

The Trump Administration's policies will increase electricity prices nationwide by 9-18%.
The "Big Bad Bill" will jeopardize up to 760,000 jobs by 2030 and an additional 700,000 jobs by 2035.
The Trump Administration has canceled 24 projects from the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED), resulting in a loss of 25,000 jobs and $4.6 billion in economic output.
Proposed budget cuts to Department of Energy programs will raise costs for vulnerable Americans, with nearly 80 million Americans struggling to pay their utility bills.
Energy Innovation estimates that 99% of U.S. coal plants are more expensive to operate than it would be to shut them down and replace them with nearby solar, wind, and battery storage.
The Trump Administration's emergency order allows Consumers Energy to recover the costs of keeping the plant open but may pass on costs to ratepayers through rate increases.
The J.H. Campbell Generating Complex, operated by Consumers Energy, is one of the older coal-fired plants in the U.S. and the last of Consumers Energy's coal plants.
The planned retirement of the Campbell plant is part of Consumers Energy's broader move away from coal and toward cleaner energy sources, such as natural gas, solar, and wind power.

Sources:

https://energyinnovation.org/report/updated-economic-impacts-of-u-s-senate-passed-one-big-beautiful-bill-act-energy-provisions/
https://energyinnovation.org/report/one-big-beautiful-bill-act/
One-Big-Beautiful-Bill-Senate-Reconciliation-Analysis_July-2025.pdf
https://www.c2es.org/press-release/cost-of-oced-cancellations-25000-jobs-4-6-billion/