The Solar for All program, launched on Earth Day in 2024, was set to bring cleaner, more affordable energy to nearly a million low-income and disadvantaged households. But its promise was cut short when the $7 billion grant initiative was canceled following the passage of the Big Beautiful Bill. Now, close to two dozen states are suing the Trump administration, according to Reuters.
As of October 16, Democratic attorneys general from more than 20 states and Washington, D.C, have filed two lawsuits in response to the program closure. This comes after Lee Zeldin, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, announced the termination of Solar for All in August, shortly after the funds were briefly unfrozen.
The initiative had been funded through the Inflation Reduction Act, passed under the previous administration, and it was intended to enable the installation of solar panels in communities across the country. But the project was designed to support more than just the clean energy transition away from polluting energy sources — its aims also included more resilient power grids, increased U.S. energy independence, a boost for local economies, and lower household electricity costs.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said his state will lose about $250 million in federal funds, according to Reuters, while Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said her state's loss of $156 million would cause energy bills for more than 11,000 Arizona families to go up by 20 percent. Mayes also noted that marginalized communities in Northern Arizona, such as the Hopi Tribe, have lost a $25 million award to bring electricity and battery storage to hundreds of homes — some of which have never been connected to the grid.
"The Trump administration is trying to hold us in the past, tethered to fossil fuel companies," Bonta said in a call cited by Reuters. "In doing so, Trump is making America more expensive and more polluted."
According to a 2024 news release issued under the previous administration, the Solar for All grants were designed to improve equitable access to solar energy in order to advance environmental justice and save more than 900,000 American households $350 million annually. In fact, with tens of thousands of U.S. residents lacking safe and consistent access to electricity at home, the program was set to improve equitable access in general.
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Job creation was envisioned as another benefit of Solar for All. Following its termination, the BlueGreen Alliance, a coalition of labor unions advocating for green jobs, released a statement saying the move is an attack on working families. "This decision will raise energy prices and slow the growth of the solar energy we need to fill demand, which is at an all-time high," said executive director Jason Walsh.
The AGs' lawsuits are seeking both monetary damages and reinstatement of the program. The plaintiffs are challenging that the administration violated federal law by rescinding "congressionally obligated funds" — funds already approved by Congress. A group of unions, nonprofits, and homeowners has also separately sued the administration for the program termination.
While a legal battle over vast sums may ensue, some states, cities, and homeowners have already been taking matters into their own hands. Some residents have been able to leverage more local funding and make at-home panel installation happen. Others are signing up for community solar programs to save money and reduce their environmental footprints.
Communities are coming together in other ways too. For example, in Maine — which happens to be one of the states involved in the lawsuits — the Center for an Ecology-Based Economy has been hosting monthly "energy cafés" so locals can get together to learn about home solar and other cleaner, more affordable energy options.
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