Strib, locally authored content -
Trump administration cancels nearly half-billion-dollar grant to Minnesota for power lines serving seven states
The Minnesota Star TribuneOctober 2, 2025 at 5:24PMThe U.S. Department of Energy is canceling 12 grants for energy projects in Minnesota, including a $464 million proposal to build large transmission lines in seven states, according to a list reviewed by the Minnesota Star Tribune.
The projects are part of $7.5 billion in Energy Department cuts announced by the Trump administration Wednesday largely in blue states as they pressure Democrats to vote for Republican plans to end a government shutdown.
A $70 million grant for an experimental long-duration battery system Xcel plans to use in Becker is on the termination list, which was provided by a Minnesota congressional office.
The Trump administration is also targeting a $50 million grant for Duluth-based Minnesota Power to modernize a transmission line, according to the termination list.
The Energy Department has not identified the projects, and did not respond to a request for information. Russell T. Vought, White House budget director, referred to the projects as part of a “Green New Scam funding to fuel the Left’s climate agenda,” in a post on the social media site X.
State officials said losing the transmission line construction project could lead to higher energy prices that would fall the hardest on middle- and low-income families.
Those are part of the Screw Blue politizing they're doing in DC, but not the big part of a cut affecting multiple states, the bulk of which are red states, but power grid proper engineering weighs terrain, population centers, routing and right-of-way acquisition concerns; in effect, it is an engineering consideration of sound nationwide government, not a tree twig used to whip a child who has done wrong (voting Dem). These gentleman don't care. Engineering a proper power grid gets subsumed into chaos, just as proper medical science is being voodooed by incompetent people with vile and/or stupid agendas.
Strib from that earlier point gets into Minnesota's part of the big payback - an aside, Trump's got a new walk-out-on-stage theme song, no longer GOD BLESS THE USA, by Lee Greenwood, more on that at the end of the post, but, back to Strib quoting --
The initial proposal for the $464 million grant was made by the Minnesota Department of Commerce, the nonprofit Great Plains Institute and the organizations that operate two regional electric grids.
That cancellation was also reported by the New York Times and Politico.
Commerce has not received a formal notification of termination, said department spokeswoman Nancy Linden.
Linden said Commerce “is deeply concerned by the U.S. Department of Energy’s suggestion of an illegal effort to rescind federally obligated energy funds targeted exclusively at blue states.”
“If true, this would represent an unprecedented and politically motivated breach of federal law and funding norms — with potentially serious consequences for families, businesses and communities across Minnesota," she said.
Gov. Tim Walz told reporters on Thursday that “this whole idea that they see states as Democrats and Republicans, or they see areas as red or blue, is simply the most egregious violation of their oath.”
When it was awarded in 2023, the $464 million grant was billed as improving grid reliability, reducing bills and emissions, and would benefit red and blue states.
The money would help build five high-voltage transmission lines in Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. Of those states, only Minnesota backed Democrat Kamala Harris in last year’s presidential election.
So, get Minnesota, after all in 20024 their voting majority supported that Harris woman, not the Trump of the United States. So, that new walk-on song which some have been waiting on - fitting Trump as who he is:
This.