EPA Terminates $7 Billion Solar Program Created During Biden Administration
Trump administration ends funding for low-income household solar projects
The Environmental Protection Agency has canceled a $7 billion grant program designed to fund solar projects for over 900,000 lower-income households across the United States. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the termination of the Biden-era Solar for All program, citing the recent tax-and-spending law signed by President Trump that eliminated the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund which had provided the program's funding authority.
The Solar for All initiative was part of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act and had awarded funds to 60 recipients including states, tribes and regions for investments in residential solar projects. According to data from Atlas Public Policy, only $53 million of the allocated $7 billion had been spent thus far, with many grant recipients reporting their programs were still in planning phases. The program was designed to expand renewable energy access while reducing energy costs for participating households.
KEY POINTS
- •EPA cancels $7B solar program
- •Program targeted 900,000 low-income homes
- •Legal challenges to cancellation underway
The decision has prompted opposition from several quarters. Senator Bernie Sanders, who introduced the Solar for All program, called the EPA's action illegal and vowed to fight the termination. The Solar Energy Industries Association has challenged the EPA's authority to cancel the grants, arguing that Congress had already appropriated the funds. Some grant recipients have already taken legal action, with a judge ruling in April that the EPA could not freeze the existing contracts.
The cancellation aligns with broader energy policy shifts under the Trump administration, which has implemented numerous deregulatory measures affecting environmental protections. Last week, the EPA proposed rescinding the agency's "endangerment finding" which provides the legal foundation for regulating greenhouse gas emissions. The administration has simultaneously pursued policies to strengthen the position of fossil fuels including coal, oil, and natural gas in pursuit of what it terms "energy dominance in the global market."