The latest in a ‘tsunami of bad things': Trump claws back funds for solar in low-income communities
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Massachusetts had been one of the biggest intended recipients of the $7 billion federal
A solar developer has plans to put solar panels on the roof of the Dorchester Food Co-op.
Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff
'Solar has been the number one contributor to increased growth in electricity generation in the United States,' said Nick d'Arbeloff, president of the
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Solar for All was part of the $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund that was created by the Inflation Reduction Act, a landmark piece of climate and clean energy legislation passed by the Biden administration in 2022. With the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Trump eliminated the fund, taking the Solar for All program with it.
Since taking office for his second term, President Trump has taken aim at the funds that were authorized by the IRA — hundreds of billions of dollars intended to speed up the clean energy transition while creating jobs.
After an
But, like many grant programs, the Solar for All funds are distributed as reimbursements — which means they don't land until a project is up and running. Because the program was not expected to be completed in Massachusetts until early this fall, that means even though those funds have been available, they have not yet been accessed.
On Thursday, Governor Maura Healey decried the action
by the Trump administration, while urging the administration to 'abandon any plans to terminate the Solar for All grants.'
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Attorney General Andrea Campbell's office, meanwhile, is evaluating legal options.
'Canceling the Solar for All program will raise energy costs for tens of thousands of low-income and disadvantaged Massachusetts households that will no longer be able to access the benefits of solar, eliminate the creation of green jobs across our state, and push us further away from reaching our climate goals,' Campbell said.
In Dorchester, King said the plans should be able to move ahead — the funds have already been secured, and they're just waiting on a few final steps before construction begins. It's just not clear whether he'll be able to develop more
solar projects.
King's model is a twist on traditional community solar, in which people buy into a solar development to get a discount on their electricity rates. In Dorchester, members buy in for $100, and are paid minimum wage to work about 4 hours a week to identify other potential sites. Once the solar array is up on the Food Co-op, members will receive a portion of the profits, and a second option will become available for those who wish to invest $1000 to participate without the work requirement.
Some profits would also go toward establishing additional sites in environmental justice neighborhoods.
'Part of the reason we have a wealth income gap in Boston is that Black and brown people don't typically own much,' said King. 'We're trying to change that by essentially having people own this cash-generating asset.'
But in order to make the numbers work, King was counting on the tax credits, Solar for All, and the pre-tariff costs for solar panels.
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However, not all is lost. The state recently
King said that should help. And he's hopeful he can find investors or other ways to access low-interest financing.
'What it means is projects are going to be less profitable,' King said.
But it doesn't mean he's giving up. 'We put a lot of effort into this. And, new administration be damned, we're going to try to deliver on the things that we've been working towards.'
Sabrina Shankman can be reached at
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The Hill
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USA Today
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DC mayor says Trump takeover shows why US capital should be 51st state
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The Hill
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Will Trump get played by Putin? Europe is worried
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Zelensky said he'd received these indications from Steve Witkoff, Trump's envoy to the region. 'Witkoff said that there should be territorial concessions from both sides – that's how it sounded,' Zelenskyy told NewsNation's Robert Sherman and other reporters in Ukraine. 'And that, most likely, Putin wants us to withdraw from Donbas. In other words, it didn't sound like it was America wanting us to withdraw. After we held two more NSA meetings, it became clear what Putin wants. This is not a proposal from Trump or Witkoff.' 'During the call, I said that I am not ready to discuss Ukraine's territories, as this is solely a matter of our Constitution,' Zelenskyy added. While Trump has called Putin's ongoing attacks on Ukraine 'cold,' he also offered criticism this week of Zelensky. 'I was a little bothered by the fact that Zelensky was saying, 'I have to get constitutional approval,' he has approval to do a war and kill everybody but he needs approval for land swapping?' Trump told reporters on Monday. Marko Mihkelson, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Estonian Parliament, described it as 'quite crazy' that Trump was putting pressure on Zelensky instead of calling out Putin for launching the war. 'We don't have any high hopes on what's going to happen in Alaska,' he said in a phone call with The Hill. Mihkelson, along with 26 chairs of European foreign affairs committees, published a letter Tuesday saying that any outcome of the Alaska talks 'must firmly uphold Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity, constitution and the principles of the United Nations Charter.' The letter matched a joint statement from European Union foreign ministers on Tuesday and a Saturday statement from the leaders of France, Italy, Poland, Finland, the United Kingdom and European Union. Mihkelson said the best-case scenario would be for the Alaska summit to be cancelled. He warned of repeating the mistakes of the 1938 Munich Conference – when European leaders agreed to allow Hitler to annex territory in then-Czechoslovakia, and that served as a prelude to the Nazi invasion of Europe. 'Can Alaska become a second Munich, or not?… We should not repeat mistakes from the past,' Mihkelson said. 'And obviously nothing can be decided about Ukraine without Ukraine, and nothing can be decided about Europe, without Europe.' Trump said he will call Zelensky and European leaders almost immediately after meeting with Putin, saying that he gets along great with European leaders and NATO members. The White House said Tuesday that Trump's meeting with Putin is exclusively focused on ending the war in Ukraine, and not about bilateral issues, or opportunities between Moscow and Washington. Zelensky warned that Putin is preparing the ground for more war, and is re-deploying troops and forces in what Ukraine assesses is a renewed military offensive. 'If someone is preparing for peace, this is not what he does. We continue to keep our partners informed about the real situation on the battlefield, in diplomacy, and in Russia's planning of further actions,' Zelensky said in his nightly address to the country. Zelensky told NewsNation on Tuesday that Ukraine is supportive of a trilateral track of negotiations, to get a ceasefire, an 'all-for-all exchange' [prisoners of war] and the return of Ukrainian children taken by Russia. 'Some period of time is set for the ceasefire – any period. Let America choose, let the Russians choose. This is to prepare a plan, so that we can find some compromises for ending the war,' Zelensky said. He also warned that compromises leading to peace cannot be found if Russia issues ultimatums. 'Putin always speaks in ultimatums. But I believe he does not have enough leverage against Trump to speak to him in ultimatums,' Zelensky said. Russian officials signal the Kremlin's demands will include the same it had when it launched its war: demanding Ukraine's demilitarization, Ukraine's commitment to neutrality and a commitment to never joining NATO, according to an analysis by the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank. It also believes Putin will angle for Ukrainian elections that could give Russia influence over their results. David Kramer, executive director of the George W. Bush Institute and an expert on Russia and Ukraine, said there are still ways for Trump to gain the upper hand in Alaska. 'We can ramp up the sanctions, we can invite Zelenskyy to the meeting, I mean, it's Tuesday now, there's time for Zelensky to travel… I think there are a number of things that the president can do to turn this opportunity into a meeting where he makes clear that Russia is the guilty party here… and any attempts to blame Zelensky, I think, are misguided,' he said. There will be scrutiny on the choreography surrounding Trump and Putin's greeting. In July 2022, President Biden fist-bumped Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to avoid a handshake after calling him a killer. In 2009, former President Clinton appeared straight-faced, no smile, alongside then-North Korean leader Kim Jung-Il. 'I hope he has the discipline,' Kramer said of Trump. 'I hope he goes into this meeting with the awareness that Putin has the blood of thousands of Ukrainians on his hands, but thousands and thousands of Ukrainians would still be alive if Putin did not decide on February 24, 2022 to launch this unjustified, unprovoked, full scale invasion that has included war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.'
