Report: DOE delays stall grant project in Berryville

SyntexNRG Inc., a Rogers-based renewable fuels and technology development company, said a report showed that delays at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have stalled hundreds of grants for federally approved energy projects more than a year after they were awarded, including a grant for a Northwest Arkansas project.

The report by the DOE Alumni Network shows that the DOE has canceled $12.5 billion in federal awards since January 2025 and could cancel an additional $12.2 billion. So far, 356 awards have been canceled. An additional 303 awards could be canceled. Link here for a PDF of the report.

In January 2025, the DOE awarded $745,932 to the city of Berryville to study ways to reduce landfill constraints in Northwest Arkansas and produce fuels from waste. The money was part of $6.9 million in federal funding for nine projects that support waste-to-energy projects for transportation energy needs. It’s one of the affected projects, according to a news release from SyntexNRG. The company is one of the regional partners on the project.

According to the release, U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Rogers, has provided Berryville with updates that he “is aware of the situation, that his chief of staff has been personally engaged on the matter, and that the district office is continuing to work on the inquiry through its Washington liaisons.”

Chris Claybaker, director of development for SyntexNRG, was encouraged by this.

“As an appropriator, we thought Congressman Womack’s office might finally get some movement on the Berryville project,” Claybaker said. “We still have not heard anything from DOE …

“We are curious how DOE is ensuring continued implementation consistent with the applicable FY24 appropriations language that was to fund this award. We would hope that studying landfill diversion and converting municipal solid waste into fuel would align with the new policies and energy priorities. There is no doubt that Congressman Womack understands concerns about landfill problems, particularly in Northwest Arkansas.”

Claybaker said SyntexNRG had hoped Womack would seek written clarification from DOE regarding the anticipated completion date of the review and the timeline for issuing determinations to affected awardees.

Congress acknowledged the disruptions in the 2026 appropriations bill, which requires DOE to notify lawmakers before canceling any award over $1 million. Several awardees have filed suit, and a federal judge in Washington, D.C., recently ordered DOE to reinstate nearly $28 million in canceled grants. Additional lawsuits were filed recently by awardees in Colorado, Connecticut and New York.