Watchdog finds DOE may have broken the law by shifting energy funding

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A federal watchdog on Thursday said the Department of Energy may have broken the law by shifting around funding that Congress set aside for clean energy programs.

The Government Accountability Office found that DOE in fiscal year 2025 enacted funding for geothermal technology at four times the amount appropriated by Congress. Meanwhile, the office slashed funding for solar, wind, clean vehicles, and hydrogen technologies by hundreds of millions of dollars altogether.

GAO stopped short of determining that DOE broke the law, stating that it needed more information from the department. The watchdog said the department’s “over-obligations” of funding may stem from money carried over from previous fiscal years.

However, DOE didn’t respond to the agency’s questions. The department also didn’t respond to an inquiry from Latitude Media.