Trump’s Dirty Energy Double Whammy: Pay More for Fuel and Power—and Use More of It
How the Trump administration's policies are driving up costs at the pump and the plug while deepening dependence on fossil fuels, with a focus on nine states: Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin.
While running for president, Donald Trump vowed to slash “energy and electricity prices by half, at least . . . within 12 months, at a maximum 18 months.” Those months have come and gone—and our families and businesses are paying more and more for fuel and power.
Not only have energy costs gone up on Trump’s watch, but the president’s actions also mean we’ll pay billions of dollars more at the pump and the electric meter for decades to come. And because his policies are resulting in more air pollution, our health costs, too, are rising.
Meanwhile, some $86 billion worth of planned clean energy manufacturing, generation, and battery storage projects have been scuttled—and, with them, the promise of tens of thousands of good-paying jobs—in the face of the Trump administration’s attacks on clean, affordable American power. In the months since Trump launched the war on Iran on February 28, 2026, gasoline prices are up nearly 50 percent nationwide. That has cost the typical household more than $540 in added fuel expenses over just the past seven months, while oil companies bank windfall profits.
Under Trump, we’re not only paying more for gasoline, but we’re also set to burn more of it. His administration has made it more costly to build, buy, and operate electric vehicles, putting American factories and workers at risk. And the administration has repealed commonsense clean vehicle and fuel economy standards. As a result, drivers will pay $1,624 more, on average, to fuel a new car over its lifetime. Nationally, scrapping those rules has put the country on track to consume about 40 percent more gasoline than we would with the clean car standards in place.
And the beneficiaries of these policies? The oil and gas billionaires Trump solicited to help bankroll his 2024 campaign. The rest of us are paying the price.
Trump’s assault on clean energy
Household electricity rates have jumped 15.1 percent since Trump took office, rising from 15.9 cents per kilowatt-hour to 18.3 cents, on average, nationwide. Rates are up 25 percent in Ohio; in Iowa, they’ve surged by a third.
The rate hikes are due largely to the explosion in energy-guzzling data centers; the cost of building new transmission capacity to service those and other facilities; volatile natural gas prices; and investment to harden the power grid against the mounting dangers of extreme heat, wildfires, storms, and other disasters made worse by climate change.
Trump’s policies, though, have sharply curtailed the construction of wind, solar, and energy storage projects—the cheapest and fastest way to add electricity capacity to the grid. And his tariffs have raised the cost of generating and transmission gear—just when we urgently need new capacity.
The Trump administration has worked to gut clean energy incentives and roll back commonsense clean air standards. It has mandated the use of several dirty and costly coal-fired power plants that had long been slated for retirement. And it’s wasted nearly $4 billion of taxpayer money to pay companies to cancel new offshore wind farms that would have generated enough clean, low-cost electricity to power more than nine million homes.
Lost American power
Taken together, these policies could cost the country between 390 and 540 gigawatts of new electricity capacity over the coming decade, as much as 40 percent of what had been planned over that time before the Trump administration upended the industry. Even at the low end of those projections, the power lost would have been enough to increase U.S. electricity capacity by a third, above the current 1,200 gigawatts nationwide.
The lost power represents up to $700 billion in foregone investment over the coming decade that could have supported half a million direct jobs, compared to what was on track to be built before Trump took office. Already, under the Trump administration, companies have canceled $36 billion worth of new U.S. factories that would have employed more than 50,000 workers to make solar panels, electric vehicles, advanced batteries, and other clean energy components.
That’s on top of the cancellation of another $50 billion of investment in new solar and wind power projects and advanced battery storage that, together, would have added 28 gigawatts of new electricity capacity nationwide, enough to power nearly four million homes.
Staggering health costs
Finally, by increasing the amount of mercury, soot, and other harmful pollutants from power plants that burn coal and natural gas, the Trump administration’s policies are projected to result in a cumulative $640 billion in additional costs, nationally, between 2026 and 2035. That’s due to increased incidence of asthma, heart disease, lung ailments, and other maladies that result in an additional 5.4 million missed days of school or work and some 35,000 additional premature deaths across the country, according to NRDC modeling results that use U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) methods for estimating pollution impacts.
State by state: The rising costs of Trump's dirty energy agenda
To show how all this directly impacts a cross-section of Americans, the following sections break down these costs and what they mean for people in nine states: Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin.
Colorado
Here’s a snapshot of what the administration’s dirty energy agenda is costing the people of Colorado.
As a candidate, Trump pledged, “We’re going to bring energy prices down,” adding “your gasoline is going to come tumbling down.” Since the president launched attacks on Iran in February, though, gasoline prices in Colorado are up some 43 percent, costing the typical household about $525, on average, in higher driving costs, as of October 7, 2026.
Nationally, pump prices are up nearly 50 percent, costing the country more than $70 billion in added fuel expenses.
As a candidate, Trump promised to cut electricity prices in half within 18 months of taking office. Instead, average household electricity rates in Colorado have risen from 14.9 cents per kilowatt-hour the month Trump took office to 17.0 cents per kilowatt-hour in July 2026, a 14.1 percent increase.
Since Trump took office attacking clean energy, investors canceled a $2.5 billion solar and battery plant facility and a $190 million battery manufacturing plant. Together, the cancellations wiped out the promise of nearly 7,500 permanent and construction jobs in the Centennial State.
The Trump administration has rolled back commonsense protections under the Clean Air Act, worked with the Republican-controlled Congress to repeal clean energy incentives, and mandated that a number of aging coal-fired power plants—including one in Colorado—remain operative well beyond their scheduled retirement date. The result of these and related policies will be increased air pollution nationwide.
In Colorado, that extra pollution will result in a cumulative $3.0 billion in added costs over the coming decade. That’s due to increased incidences of asthma, heart disease, lung ailments, and other maladies that result in an additional 39,100 missed days of school or work and up to 160 more premature deaths—in Colorado alone—according to NRDC modeling results that use EPA methods for estimating pollution impacts.
Georgia
Here’s a snapshot of what the administration’s dirty energy agenda is costing the people of Georgia.
As a candidate, Trump pledged “We’re going to bring energy prices down,” adding “your gasoline is going to come tumbling down.” Since he launched attacks on Iran in February 2026, though, gasoline prices in Georgia are up about 40 percent, costing the typical household nearly $500, on average, in higher driving costs, as of October 7, 2026.
Nationally, pump prices are up nearly 50 percent, costing the country more than $70 billion in added fuel expenses.
As a candidate, Trump promised to cut electricity prices in half within 18 months of taking office. Instead, average household electricity rates in Georgia have risen from 13.5 cents per kilowatt-hour the month Trump took office to 16.3 cents per kilowatt-hour in July 2026, a 20.7 percent increase.
Since Trump took office attacking clean energy, investors canceled $1.3 billion worth of planned solar power projects in Georgia that would have added 830 megawatts of new capacity, enough to power about 130,000 homes. Also canceled were $2.9 billion in new factories to make advanced batteries and electric vehicle parts and assembly. Together, these cancellations wiped out the promise of 4,800 permanent and construction jobs across the Peach State.
The Trump administration has rolled back commonsense protections under the Clean Air Act, worked with the Republican-controlled Congress to repeal clean energy incentives, and mandated that a number of aging coal-fired power plants remain operative well beyond their scheduled retirement date. The result of these and related policies will be increased air pollution nationwide.
In Georgia, that additional pollution will result in a cumulative $32.5 billion in added costs over the coming decade. That’s due to increased incidence of asthma, heart disease, lung ailments and other maladies that result in an additional 418,400 missed days of school or work and up to 1,700 additional premature deaths—in Georgia alone‚ according to NRDC modeling results that use EPA methods for estimating pollution impacts.
Iowa
Here’s a snapshot of what the administration’s dirty energy agenda is costing the people of Iowa.
As a candidate, Trump pledged, “We’re going to bring energy prices down,” adding “your gasoline is going to come tumbling down.” Since Trump launched attacks on Iran on Februrary 28, 2026, though, gasoline prices in Iowa are up about 63 percent, costing the typical household more than $580, on average, in higher driving costs, as of October 7, 2026.
Nationally, pump prices are up nearly 50 percent, costing the country more than $70 billion in added fuel expenses.
As a candidate, Trump promised to cut electricity prices in half within 18 months of taking office. Instead, average household electricity rates in Iowa have risen from 12.0 cents per kilowatt-hour the month Trump took office to 16.0 cents per kilowatt-hour in July 2026, a 33.3 percent increase.
Since Trump took office attacking clean energy, investors canceled a $353 million wind generation project in Iowa. It would have created 60 construction jobs and provided 212 megawatts of electricity, enough to power about 72,000 homes across the Hawkeye State.
The Trump administration has rolled back commonsense protections under the Clean Air Act, worked with the Republican-controlled Congress to repeal clean energy incentives, and mandated that a number of aging coal-fired power plants remain operative well beyond their scheduled retirement date. The result of these and related policies will be increased air pollution nationwide.
In Iowa, that additional pollution will result in a cumulative $9.3 billion in added costs over the coming decade. That’s due to increased incidence of asthma, heart disease, lung ailments, and other maladies that result in an additional 72,100 missed days of school or work and up to 510 additional premature deaths—in Iowa alone—according to NRDC modeling results that use EPA methods for estimating pollution impacts.
Michigan
Here’s a snapshot of what the administration’s dirty energy agenda is costing the people of Michigan.
As a candidate, Trump pledged, “We’re going to bring energy prices down,” adding “your gasoline is going to come tumbling down.” Since Trump launched attacks on Iran on February 28, 2026, though, gasoline prices in Michigan are up nearly 50 percent, costing the typical household more than $580, on average, in higher driving costs, as of October 7, 2026.
Nationally, pump prices are up nearly 50 percent, costing the country more than $70 billion in added fuel expenses.
As a candidate, Trump promised to cut electricity prices in half within 18 months of taking office. Instead, average household electricity rates in Michigan have risen from 18.5 cents per kilowatt-hour the month Trump took office to 23.0 cents per kilowatt-hour in July 2026, a 24.3 percent increase.
Since Trump took office attacking clean energy, investors have canceled $8.3 billion worth of new factories to make advanced batteries and electric vehicle parts and assembly, wiping out the promise of 9,100 jobs across the Great Lakes State.
The Trump administration has rolled back commonsense protections under the Clean Air Act, worked with the Republican-controlled Congress to repeal clean energy incentives, and mandated that a number of aging coal-fired power plants remain operative well beyond their scheduled retirement date.
Keeping Michigan’s aging J.H. Campbell plant running past its due date has already cost consumers an extra $259 million. And the pollution from the plant since it was ordered to remain online has resulted in $815 million in public health costs and an additional 64 premature deaths in just the first nine months it was forced to remain open. In September, a federal court ruled that the administration violated the law in ordering the plant to remain open.
The result of these and related policies will be increased air pollution nationwide. In Michigan, that extra pollution will result in a cumulative $26.1 billion in added costs over the coming decade. That’s due to increased incidence of asthma, heart disease, lung ailments, and other maladies that result in an additional 174,500 missed days of school or work and up to 1,400 additional premature deaths—in Michigan alone—according to NRDC modeling results that use EPA methods for estimating pollution impacts.
North Carolina
Here’s a snapshot of what the administration’s dirty energy agenda is costing the people of North Carolina.
As a candidate, Trump pledged, “We’re going to bring energy prices down,” adding “your gasoline is going to come tumbling down.” Since Trump launched attacks on Iran on February 28, 2026, though, gasoline prices in North Carolina are up about 50 percent, costing the typical household nearly $550, on average, in higher driving costs, as of October 7, 2026.
Nationally, pump prices are up nearly 50 percent, costing the country more than $70 billion in added fuel expenses.
As a candidate, Trump promised to cut electricity prices in half within 18 months of taking office. Instead, average household electricity rates in North Carolina have risen from 12.5 cents per kilowatt-hour the month Trump took office to 15.2 cents per kilowatt-hour in July 2026, a 21.6 percent increase.
Since Trump took office attacking clean energy, investors have canceled $186 million in planned solar generation projects in North Carolina. They would have added 120 megawatts of new capacity, enough to power more than 18,000 homes. Also canceled: $1.4 billion in three new factories that were set to make advanced batteries, electric vehicle parts, and wind energy components. Together, these cancellations wiped out the promise of 7,600 permanent and construction jobs across the Tar Heel State.
The Trump administration has rolled back commonsense protections under the Clean Air Act, worked with the Republican-controlled Congress to repeal clean energy incentives, and mandated that a number of aging coal-fired power plants remain operative well beyond their scheduled retirement date. The result of these and related policies will be increased air pollution nationwide.
In North Carolina, that additional pollution will result in a cumulative $21.7 billion in added costs over the coming decade. That’s due to increased incidence of asthma, heart disease, lung ailments, and other maladies that result in an additional 168,300 missed days of school or work and up to 1,200 additional premature deaths—in North Carolina alone—according to NRDC modeling results that use U.S. Environmental Protection Agency methods for estimating pollution impacts.
Ohio
Here’s a snapshot of what the administration’s dirty energy agenda is costing the people of Ohio.
As a candidate, Trump pledged, “We’re going to bring energy prices down,” adding “your gasoline is going to come tumbling down.” Since Trump launched attacks on Iran on February 28, 2026, though, gasoline prices in Ohio are up about 33 percent, costing the typical household more than $520, on average, in higher driving costs, as of October 7, 2026.
Nationally, pump prices are up nearly 50 percent, costing the country more than $70 billion in added fuel expenses.
As a candidate, Trump promised to cut electricity prices in half within 18 months of taking office. Instead, average household electricity rates in Ohio have risen from 15.6 cents per kilowatt-hour the month Trump took office to 19.5 cents per kilowatt-hour in July 2026, a 25 percent increase.
Since Trump took office attacking clean energy, investors have canceled $1.9 billion worth of planned solar power and battery storage projects in Ohio. Those projects would have added 1.2 gigawatts of new capacity, enough to power about 150,000 homes. Also canceled: $3 billion in new factories to make advanced batteries and electric vehicle parts and assembly. Together, these cancellations wiped out the promise of 9,300 permanent and construction jobs across the Buckeye State.
The Trump administration has rolled back commonsense protections under the Clean Air Act, worked with the Republican-controlled Congress to repeal clean energy incentives, and mandated that a number of aging coal-fired power plants remain operative well beyond their scheduled retirement date. The result of these and related policies will be increased air pollution nationwide.
In Ohio, that additional pollution will result in a cumulative $58.9 billion in increased costs over the coming decade. That’s due to increased incidence of asthma, heart disease, lung ailments, and other maladies that result in an additional 460,700 missed days of school or work and up to 3,200 additional premature deaths—in Ohio alone—according to NRDC modeling results that use EPA methods for estimating pollution impacts.
Pennsylvania
Here’s a snapshot of what the administration’s dirty energy agenda is costing the people of Pennsylvania.
As a candidate, Trump pledged, “We’re going to bring energy prices down,” adding “your gasoline is going to come tumbling down.” Since Trump launched attacks on Iran on February 28, 2026, though, gasoline prices in Pennsylvania are up 44 percent, costing the typical household about $400, on average, in higher driving costs, as of October 7, 2026.
Nationally, pump prices are up nearly 50 percent, costing the country more than $70 billion in added fuel expenses.
As a candidate, Trump promised to cut electricity prices in half within 18 months of taking office. Instead, average household electricity rates in Pennsylvania have risen from 17.6 cents per kilowatt-hour the month Trump took office to 21.7 cents per kilowatt-hour in July 2026, a 23.3 percent increase.
Since Trump took office attacking clean energy, investors have canceled $648 million worth of planned solar power and battery storage projects in Pennsylvania. The projects would have added 419 megawatts of new capacity, enough to power about 61,000 homes, and supported 1,400 construction jobs across the Keystone State.
The Trump administration has rolled back commonsense protections under the Clean Air Act, worked with the Republican-controlled Congress to repeal clean energy incentives, and mandated that a number of aging coal-fired power plants—including Pennsylvania’s Eddystone plant—remain operative well beyond their scheduled retirement date. The result of these and related policies will be increased air pollution nationwide.
In Pennsylvania, that additional pollution will result in a cumulative $39.4 billion in added costs over the coming decade. That’s due to increased incidence of asthma, heart disease, lung ailments, and other maladies that result in an additional 265,400 missed days of school or work and up to 2,100 additional premature deaths—in Pennsylvania alone—according to NRDC modeling results that use EPA methods for estimating pollution impacts.
Texas
Here’s a snapshot of what the administration’s dirty energy agenda is costing the people of Texas.
As a candidate, Trump pledged, “We’re going to bring energy prices down,” adding “your gasoline is going to come tumbling down.” Since Trump launched attacks on Iran on February 28, 2026, though, gasoline prices in Texas are up 50 percent, costing the typical household nearly $620, on average, in higher driving costs, as of October 7, 2026.
Nationally, pump prices are up nearly 50 percent, costing the country more than $70 billion in added fuel expenses.
As a candidate, Trump promised to cut electricity prices in half within 18 months of taking office. Instead, average household electricity rates in Texas have risen from 14.7 cents per kilowatt-hour the month Trump took office to 15.9 cents per kilowatt-hour in July 2026, an 8.2 percent increase.
Since Trump took office attacking clean energy, investors have canceled $19.6 billion worth of planned solar power and battery storage projects in Texas. Those projects would have added 11.6 gigawatts of new capacity, enough to power more than 1.2 million homes, and would have supported 55,000 permanent and construction jobs across the Lone Star State.
The Trump administration has rolled back commonsense protections under the Clean Air Act, worked with the Republican-controlled Congress to repeal clean energy incentives, and mandated that a number of aging coal-fired power plants remain operative well beyond their scheduled retirement date. The result of these and related policies will be increased air pollution nationwide.
In Texas, that extra pollution will result in a cumulative $59.9 billion in added costs over the coming decade. That’s due to increased incidence of asthma, heart disease, lung ailments, and other maladies that result in an additional 605,000 missed days of school or work and up to 3,200 additional premature deaths—in Texas alone—according to NRDC modeling results that use EPA methods for estimating pollution impacts.
Wisconsin
Here’s a snapshot of what the administration’s dirty energy agenda is costing the people of Wisconsin.
As a candidate, Trump pledged, “We’re going to bring energy prices down,” adding “your gasoline is going to come tumbling down.” Since Trump launched attacks on Iran on February 28, 2026, though, gasoline prices in Wisconsin are up about 50 percent, costing the typical household more than $510, on average, in higher driving costs, as of October 7, 2026.
Nationally, pump prices are up nearly 50 percent, costing the country more than $70 billion in added fuel expenses.
As a candidate, Trump promised to cut electricity prices in half within 18 months of taking office. Instead, average household electricity rates in Wisconsin have risen from 17.4 cents per kilowatt-hour the month Trump took office to 19.1 cents per kilowatt-hour in July 2026, a 9.8 percent increase.
The Trump administration has rolled back commonsense protections under the Clean Air Act, worked with the Republican-controlled Congress to repeal clean energy incentives, and mandated that a number of aging coal-fired power plants remain operative well beyond their scheduled retirement date. The result of these and related policies will be increased air pollution nationwide.
In Wisconsin, that extra pollution will result in a cumulative $14.8 billion in added costs over the coming decade. That’s due to increased incidence of asthma, heart disease, lung ailments, and other maladies that result in an additional 110,200 missed days of school or work and up to 800 additional premature deaths—in Wisconsin alone—according to NRDC modeling results that use EPA methods for estimating pollution impacts
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