5 days ago
US EPA could cancel $7 billion in grants for solar energy, sources say
Aug 5 (Reuters) - The Trump administration is considering whether to terminate a $7 billion grant program designed to help power low and moderate-income households with solar energy, two sources briefed on the matter said.
The Environmental Protection Agency could as soon as this week terminate the grants, which were awarded in 2024 during the administration of former President Joe Biden, to 60 nonprofit groups, tribes and states, said the sources. One of sources said they were briefed by a person inside the EPA and both of them spoke on condition of anonymity.
EPA's deliberations were first reported by the New York Times.
EPA said it had not made a final decision on the program.
"With the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill, EPA is working to ensure Congressional intent is fully implemented in accordance with the law," an EPA spokesperson said.
The EPA's "Solar for All" program was funded by Biden's 2022 climate change law, the Inflation Reduction Act. Most of the grantees are state energy agencies that are developing programs to deploy rooftop and community solar arrays.
President Donald Trump's administration has sought to roll back federal support for solar and wind energy, calling them expensive and unreliable.
Three Solar for All grantees contacted by Reuters said they had not received official word from EPA about the status of their grants.
"This program remains fully aligned with congressional intent and delivers critical benefits to the rural and frontline communities we serve," Hilary Shohoney, chief of staff at the non-profit Bonneville Environmental Foundation, which received $130 million in Solar for All grants for solar projects in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. "Solar for All also aligns with the President's commitment to 'unleash American energy' by boosting local generation, strengthening energy independence, and creating family-wage jobs in rural communities."
