A worker installs solar collectors on a roof. (Photo by Getty Images)
Several Congress Democrats beat the trump government’s announcement on Friday that it will cancel grants of almost $ 7 billion for the financing of solar energy projects for households with low income.
The US environmental protection authority sent through the solar for all programs that the Democrats created in their massive taxes, energy and domestic policy laws, to states and other receivers of grants via the solar that the agency canceled all funds that have not been issued from the initiative.
The EPA said that the Republicans have removed the Federal Fund, which distributed the program of the program in the “a large, beautiful” law president, Donald Trump, who was signed on July 4.
On Thursday, the EPA administrator Lee Zeldin said on social media that the law had ended the legal ability of the agency to distribute funds.
“The conclusion is again: EPA no longer has the authority to manage the program or the means acquired in order to keep this boondoggle alive,” said Zeldin in A video published on X. “With a clear language and intention of the congress in one large, beautiful draft law, the EPA take measures to finally end this program. We commit ourselves to the rule of law and are a good administrator of the taxpayer dollars.”
The move triggered a counter -reaction by the Democrats in the Congress and the States, which said that the abolition of the already proven funds had violated the law.
“We are horrified and outraged by the obvious and illegal termination of 7 billion US dollars of federal financing for the 60 organizations that were awarded the solar for all programs” A Friday letter to Zeldin and the household director of the White House Russell Vough.
“Solar for all funds was approved by the congress and signed in the law, and the cancellation or cancellation of these obligations is a violation of the law and the constitution.”
Letters to 60 countries, organizations
The 60 recipients of the Grant Awards, mainly state governments, but also tribes and some multi -state projects, received letters from the EPA on Thursday in which they were canceled the grants.
The Letter to the Oregon Energy Ministry Said of the reconciliation calculation signed on July 4, which had lifted the approval and funds for the fund.
(*7*) says the letter.
“The EPA has weighed up options for the future of the solar for all programs and decided to terminate the SFA program and existing grants, since the EPA no longer has a legal basis or dedicated funds in order to continue to manage and monitor the expenditure of almost 7 billion US dollars to around 60 grant receivers.”
In the letter, the EPA found that the recipients “started to rely on the program for preliminary budget and personnel decisions. But it is said that” due to the early nature of such expenses, we expect damage to interests that must be suffered and resolved “.
In a statement on Friday, the Oregon Energy Ministry announced that it had already issued “significant administrative funds” for the start of the program in the course of this year, and may have a legal challenge shortly.
“Federal financing was already committed to Oregon and the Oregon Solar for all coalition,” says the department’s declaration. “We are surprised and disappointed to hear that the US EPA cancels these money that has already been observed. Odoe will work with our partners, the governor’s office and the Attorney General of Oregon to check the next steps to ensure that these means continue to serve oregonians as intended.”
“A betrayal”
Like the Oregon Democrats, the democratic MP of New Jersey, Frank Pallone, said the ranking member of the mighty committee for the energy and trade of the house that the move was illegal and predicted that it would boost energy prices.
“The Trump administration steals working families on the bright daylight,” said Pallone in an explanation in early Friday. “This money was intended for our voters and municipalities to reduce the energy costs. The retention of these funds is not just brazen – it is a betrayal of this administration of working families who now pay higher energy costs so that the Republicans can grind their ax against clean energy.”
Other Democrats, including the governor of Arizona, Katie Hobbs, also focused on the economic effects.
“President Trump has reduced the costs and created jobs,” wrote Hobbs about X.
The Democrats created the solar for the entire fund as part of the 27 -billion dollar -gas mining fund of 27 billion US dollars, which they passed in a chamber and president Joe Biden in August 2022.
The solar for the entire fund should bring 900,000 households into low -income communities and at the same time reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
According to a list on the EPA website, The award winners included the state of New Hampshire’s executive office; Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources; the governor’s energy office; The Alaska Energy Authority; the Oregon Department of Energy; Washington State Department of Commerce; Bonneville Environmental Foundation in Idaho; Tanana Chiefs Conference in Alaska; New Jersey Board of Public Utilities; Maryland Clean Energy Center; Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority; Virginia Department of Energy; West Virginia Office of Energy; Department for the Environment and Nature Conservation Tennessee; Kentucky energy and environmental cabinet; North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality; South Carolina Office of Resilience; the solar and energy loan fund of St. Lucie County, Inc. in Florida; The Capital Good Fund in Georgia; Minnesota Department of Commerce; The state of Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy; The state of Ohio Office of Budget and Management State Accounting; Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation; Indiana Community Action Association Inc.; New Mexico Energy, Minerals & Natural Resources Department; State of Louisiana Department of Natural Resources; Hope Enterprise Corporation in Arkansas; the Missouri environmental improvement and energy resource authority; the Center for Rural Affairs in Nebraska; Colorado Energy Office; Utah Office of Energy Development; Bonneville Environmental Foundation in Montana; Coalition for Green Capital in North Dakota; Coalition for Green Capital in South Dakota; Executive office of the state of Arizona; Nevada Clean Energy Fund; Hopi Utilities Corporation in Arizona; And other programs that covered several states and tribes.