Nearly two dozen states have filed lawsuits against the Trump administration after it cancelled a $7bn solar grant program designed to expand clean energy access for low-income communities.
The Solar for All program, managed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), aimed to fund solar installations for disadvantaged households. The EPA’s administrator, Lee Zeldin, announced its termination in August, calling it a “boondoggle”. The agency declined to comment on ongoing litigation.
California’s attorney general, Rob Bonta, said the cancellation violates federal obligations and would strip billions from renewable energy investments. “The Trump administration is trying to hold us in the past, tethered to fossil fuel companies,” he said. “In doing so, Trump is making America more expensive and more polluted.”
California will lose around $250m in congressionally approved funds, while Arizona will forfeit $156m. Arizona’s attorney general, Kris Mayes, said the move will affect 900,000 low-income households nationwide, including 11,000 in her state. She warned that energy bills could rise by 20%. “Without this program, for many Arizonans, clean energy will be out of reach,” she said.
The lawsuits, filed in the court of federal claims and federal court in Washington state, seek monetary damages and reinstatement of the program. They follow a separate legal challenge from solar companies and labor unions filed earlier this month.
The cancellation stems from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed by Donald Trump in July, which eliminated the program’s funding source. The president has repeatedly rolled back support for renewable energy, describing solar and wind as unreliable and costly.
Mayes highlighted the impact on Arizona’s Hopi tribe, which was set to receive $25m to bring electricity to hundreds of homes using solar and battery systems.
The coalition includes 22 states and Washington DC, led by Democratic attorneys general challenging Trump’s energy and environmental policies.
Nearly two dozen states sue Trump administration over cancellation of $7bn solar grant program appeared first on Energy Live News.