Trump administration announces cancellation of $7 billion solar power initiative aimed at benefiting low-income households.
The Solar for All program, a key initiative aimed at providing solar power to low-income households, is facing an uncertain future due to ongoing legal challenges and funding cuts.
The mega-law passed by Republicans in Congress last month, known as HR 1, specifically repeals the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) authority to administer the Solar for All program and the appropriated funds to keep it running. This move has put the program under attack by the Trump administration.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the termination of the Solar for All program in a video posted on the X social media platform. However, supporters of the program, including Lawyers for Good Government and Solar for All advocates, are vowing to fight the move in court.
Jillian Blanchard, vice president of climate change and environmental justice at Lawyers for Good Government, argues that HR 1 did not rescind the funds allocated to the Solar for All program as they were under legally obligated grant awards when the bill was signed. The vast majority of the funds for the Solar for All program were already committed under legally binding contracts to the parties awarded grants during the Biden administration.
The Solar for All program is part of the Inflation Reduction Act's $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF). The administration is seeking to claw back $20 billion in funds for other GGRF programs, a move that is being challenged in court.
In a related court case, administration officials have claimed that HR 1 terminates the government's obligation to meet any of its contractual obligations, including those related to the Solar for All program. However, a US federal appeals court has ruled in support of the EPA's authority and instructed that related legal disputes be brought before a federal court.
The Solar for All program awarded grants to 60 state agencies, municipalities, tribal governments, and nonprofits to help low-income households access solar power. The termination of the $7 billion program could potentially leave these organisations without the funds necessary to continue their work.
As the legal challenges and funding cuts continue, the future of the Solar for All program remains uncertain. However, its defenders are determined to fight for its survival, hoping to ensure that low-income households continue to have access to clean, renewable energy.
