On October 26, 2020, Grist and InvestigateWest reported that political appointees at the Department of Energy (DOE) were blocking release of a study of the effects of adopting a national zero-emission credit scheme. The study, which was ordered by Congress in the 2017 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, included an analysis of " the effects of a Zero Emissions Energy Credit that replaces existing renewable energy subsidies . . . with a graduated tax credit that is apportioned based on the total emissions profile" of the source. Its release was reportedly blocked by political appointees at DOE, who were concerned that it might discourage the construction of new fossil fuel electricity generating facilities, favored by President Trump.