By Tate Miller
The Center Square

The U.S. Department of Energy will be returning to American taxpayers $13 billion in “unobligated wasteful spending” that was originally intended for former President Joe Biden’s climate agenda.

In response, Larry Behrens from Power the Future told The Center Square that “by returning $13 billion, the Department of Energy under President Trump is showing respect for taxpayers and a willingness to end funding for programs that don’t work.”

Power the Future is a nonprofit dedicated to Americans who work in reliable energy sources.

Behrens told The Center Square that the Department of Energy’s action “is a welcome step toward restoring accountability and letting free markets – not bureaucrats – determine our energy future.”

“The American people made it crystal clear at the ballot box that they don’t want another taxpayer dollar wastefully spent on green scam pet projects,” Behrens said.

Diana Furchtgott-Roth of the Heritage Foundation told The Center Square that with the return of $13 billion, “the deficit will be lower than otherwise.”

When asked what other actions the Department of Energy should take to end wasteful spending, Furchtgott-Roth said that “the Department should comb through its budget and see what projects can be accomplished by the private sector, then end those projects.”

“The Department should also look through its regulations and see which ones impose costs on businesses and families,” Furchtgott-Roth said.

“For instance, the Department should eliminate appliance regulations that prevent companies from producing the gas stoves, boilers, or water heaters that people want to buy,” Furchtgott Roth said.

The Department of Energy announced Wednesday its “intention to return more than $13 billion in unobligated funds initially appropriated to advance the previous Administration’s wasteful Green New Scam agenda.”

The department said its announcement reflects “the [Trump] Administration’s commitment to halt wasteful spending and refocus the department to its core mission.”

For instance, Trump signed the Working Families Tax Cut into law earlier this year, the release said, which “directed the Energy Department to rein in bloated federal spending and expedite the return of unobligated funds to the U.S. Treasury to support hardworking Americans.”

“The Department of Energy is working to advance its critical mission of unleashing affordable, reliable and secure energy for all Americans while increasing efficiency and promoting better stewardship of taxpayer dollars,” the release said.

The Department of Energy has not yet responded to The Center Square’s request for comment.

U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said in the news release: “The American people elected President Trump largely because of the last administration’s reckless spending on climate policies that fed inflation and failed to provide any real benefit to the American people.”

“Thanks to President Trump and Congress, those days are over,” Wright said.

Renewable energy group American Council on Renewable Energy has not yet responded to The Center Square’s two requests for comment.

Behrens told The Center Square, “keep in mind it was Biden’s DOE that funneled billions to an electric vehicle charging program that failed to deliver results.”

“Over $6 billion in EV charging funding has now been flagged as wasteful,” Behrens said.

Behrens also referred The Center Square to a White House document entitled “Ending the Green New Scam.”

Furchtgott-Roth informed The Center Square that “in general, states with the most expensive electricity require renewables (with the exception of Alaska), and states with the least expensive electricity do not require renewables.”

“States should prioritize affordable, resilient, reliable energy,” Furchtgott-Roth said.

“This means getting rid of requirements that a share of electricity be produced with renewables,” Furchtgott-Rott said.