Trump EPA moves to cancel $7 billion in Solar for All rooftop aid to low-income homes
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to void grants promised to nearly every state under the Inflation Reduction Act’s Solar for All initiative, stripping funds meant to help working families install rooftop panels.
Jake Spring reports for The Washington Post
In short:
- Draft letters would revoke 60 awards covering 49 states, six tribes, and five national grantees before most of the money is spent.
- The administration argues the step aligns with Congress’s recent One Big Beautiful Bill, which clawed back unobligated climate incentives; critics say the EPA lacks authority to rescind funds already allocated.
- Legal challenges are expected from states, solar industry groups and Sen. Bernie Sanders, who designed the program to cut household power bills by at least 20%.
Key quote:
“Solar for All is laser focused on helping nearly a million low-income families afford electricity at a time when their bills keep going up.”
— Zealan Hoover, former Biden-era EPA implementation director
Why this matters:
Rooftop solar has become one of the fastest ways to ease stress on an aging power grid while sheltering families from volatile fossil-fuel prices. By yanking Solar for All dollars, the Trump administration threatens to widen the energy-cost gap between affluent households that can finance panels and those renters or homeowners who rely on incentives to participate in the clean energy boom. The decision also chips away at the Inflation Reduction Act’s projected carbon cuts, potentially locking in higher emissions just as heat records fall and utilities scramble to meet surging demand for air conditioning and electrified vehicles. Communities that already breathe dirtier air — often poor, minority, or rural — stand to bear the brunt if cleaner, local generation stalls.
Related: Renewable energy lobbyists spend millions to fight GOP rollback of climate incentives
