On October 16 local time, attorneys general from more than ten U.S. states filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, accusing it of terminating $7 billion in funding for the national Solar for All program. In the lawsuit, they argued that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) cancellation of the Solar for All program violated laws governing federal agencies and the constitutional principle of separation of powers.
The states and districts participating in the lawsuit include California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
The Solar for All program was launched in 2022 by former U.S. President Joe Biden, aiming to provide nearly 1 million Americans with access to renewable energy. In August, one month after President Trump’s broad tax and spending bill passed Congress, the EPA revoked the funding for the Solar for All program. EPA Administrator Zedden labeled the program a “waste of money.” Earlier this month, nonprofit organizations and other groups filed a similar lawsuit regarding the funding of the Solar for All program. This week, more than twenty Democratic senators also sent a letter to Administrator Zedden, urging the restoration of the program.
