EPA has filed a lawsuit over the termination of $7 billion in “Solar for All” subsidies
The Environmental Protection Agency was sued Monday for halting $7 billion in “Solar for All” grants aimed at helping low-income communities install solar panels on homes.
The group of plaintiffs – made up of solar companies, labor unions and homeowners – filed the lawsuit in federal court in Rhode Island. They accused the EPA of ending the program, in violation of federal law, that would have helped them save on energy costs.
Solar for All was expected to save an estimated $350 million annually on energy bills during and after the five-year program, providing more than 900,000 low-income and disadvantaged households with utility bill relief, the plaintiffs’ attorneys wrote.
The program was “expected to secure 4,000 megawatts of new solar energy and generate 200,000 new jobs over five years,” the complaint said.
Solar for All was created with the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which allocated $27 billion to make buildings more energy efficient and install electric vehicle charging stations.
In Monday’s complaint, plaintiffs accused the Trump administration of trying to recapture billions of dollars in congressionally approved climate financing approved during the Biden administration. They are asking a jury to issue an injunction forcing the EPA to reinstate the Solar for All program.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said Trump’s domestic policy law, passed in July, canceled “billions of dollars in green slush funds” for Solar for All.
“The bottom line is that EPA no longer has the authority to administer the program or the resources to keep this nonsense alive,” Zeldin added.
The plaintiffs also allege that Trump’s EPA violated the separation of powers by blocking funding approved by Congress.
“EPA has taken steps to end subsidies and recover obligated funds,” forcing layoffs, the complaint said.
“It’s not just a one-two punch for the workforce I represent,” said Patrick Crowley, president of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO.
“It’s really a one-two punch for the entire state of Rhode Island because our energy costs need to be controlled, and renewables like solar and wind are a big part of that.”
