Over the weekend I came across a piece in Canary Media that really stuck with me.

It outlines how the Trump administration has effectively gutted the Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) — the small but powerful team that was helping turn clean energy innovation into real-world industrial scale.

OCED wasn’t a typical government office. It was an industrial accelerator. Backed by $25 billion in federal funding and structured to attract tens of billions more in private capital, it was designed to de-risk first-of-a-kind projects in hydrogen, carbon capture, advanced steel and cement manufacturing, and clean fuels.

These weren’t abstract R&D exercises. They were tangible projects meant to build good jobs, stronger supply chains, and long-term economic competitiveness in communities across the country.

What’s happening

According to Canary Media, more than three-quarters of OCED’s staff have been let go, billions in project awards have been canceled, and the office’s budget has been effectively zeroed out.

That decision reaches far beyond DC.

• Billions in private co-investment are now frozen or leaving for other markets.
• Developers and manufacturers are losing confidence in the DOE as a partner.
• The U.S. is quietly giving up ground to China and Europe in the race for clean energy manufacturing and infrastructure leadership.

At root/edge, we see the ripple effects of these shifts firsthand. When major programs like OCED are dismantled, it doesn’t just slow innovation—it impacts hiring, workforce development, and the entire ecosystem of technical and operational talent supporting industrial growth.

Why it matters

This isn’t about politics. It’s about industrial strategy and long-term competitiveness.

OCED’s purpose was to bridge the “valley of death” between promising technology and commercial deployment — exactly where most projects struggle to find private capital. Without that bridge, scaling U.S.-based manufacturing becomes slower, riskier, and more expensive.

While other regions double down on energy and infrastructure investment, we’re pulling back the very programs designed to keep us competitive. That’s not just a setback — it’s a missed opportunity for American industry and jobs.

The bigger picture

At root/edge, we operate at the intersection of energy, infrastructure, and talent, and what’s clear is that the next generation of American jobs won’t come from talking about the energy transition. They’ll come from actually building it, steel plants, hydrogen hubs, grid infrastructure, data center power systems, and doing it here at home.

The dismantling of OCED isn’t just a policy reversal. It’s a signal to the market that the U.S. might be stepping back from leading in clean energy innovation. And that has real consequences for competitiveness, workforce development, and regional growth.

If you care about where the next generation of American industrial jobs will come from, this Canary Media article is worth your time.