Solar groups sue Trump Administration over cancellation of $7 billion in grants
On Monday, a group of labor unions as well as nonprofits and solar companies filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its cancellation of an $7 billion grant program from Biden's era that was intended to increase solar energy in low-income areas. The complaint filed in federal courts in Rhode Island alleges that U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and its administrator Lee Zeldin broke the law by rescinding grants granted in 2024 to sixty nonprofit groups, tribals, and states.
The plaintiffs include the Rhode Island AFL-CIO and the nonprofits Rhode Island Center for Justice and Solar United Neighbors. Also included are the Pittsburgh-based installer Energy Independent Solutions and Black Sun Light Sustainability (an Indiana nonprofit project), the Georgia companies Sunpath Solar and 2KB Energy Service, and Anh Nguyen - an Atlanta home owner who applied for a solar installation under the Solar For All program.
According to the lawsuit, although the plaintiffs weren't direct recipients of grants, they still stood to gain from the program. A spokesperson for the EPA said that they do not comment on pending lawsuits. Zeldin claimed that he had no authority to run the program when he ended it in August. Reporting by Nichola Grroom; editing by Mark Porter
(source: Reuters)
