Trump Administration Suppressed Clean Energy Research

The Union of Concerned Scientists reports that the Department of Energy (DOE) under the Trump administration suppressed, delayed, or sidelined at least 46 clean energy studies from the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and seven national labs. This was achieved through a two-tiered review system implemented in May 2018 by Daniel Simmons and Alex Fitzsimmons, which required political sign-off for 'Tier 1' research on politically sensitive topics, such as comparisons between fossil fuels and renewables. The report notes that this system led to at least 25 reports being delayed by over six months, a significant increase compared to the previous 16 years under the Bush and Obama administrations. The document asserts these actions violated the DOE's scientific integrity policy, which prohibits the suppression or alteration of scientific findings.

• The Department of Energy (DOE) suppressed, delayed, or sidelined at least 46 clean energy studies, including research on solar, wind, and hydropower, as well as the Interconnections Seam Study regarding energy grid integration.
• In May 2018, Daniel Simmons (EERE Assistant Secretary) and Alex Fitzsimmons (Chief of Staff) established a two-tiered system requiring political appointees to sign off on 'Tier 1' research, which covered politically sensitive topics like the growth of renewables or comparisons between fossil fuels and renewables.
• The political review process caused significant delays; at least 25 reports were delayed for more than six months, whereas five or fewer studies experienced such delays during the combined 16-year tenure of the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations.
• The suppression of research is described as a violation of the DOE's scientific integrity policy, which forbids the coercion to 'suppress or alter scientific or technological findings,' though political appointee David Solan argued that 'techno-economic analysis' was not protected.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2021). Trump Administration Suppressed Clean Energy Research. https://www.ucs.org/resources/attacks-on-science/trump-administration-suppressed-clean-energy-research

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Trump Administration Suppressed Clean Energy Research. 2021. https://www.ucs.org/resources/attacks-on-science/trump-administration-suppressed-clean-energy-research.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Trump Administration Suppressed Clean Energy Research |date=14 April 2021 |url=https://www.ucs.org/resources/attacks-on-science/trump-administration-suppressed-clean-energy-research |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2021trump, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Trump Administration Suppressed Clean Energy Research}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2021}, month = apr, url = {https://www.ucs.org/resources/attacks-on-science/trump-administration-suppressed-clean-energy-research}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }