Labor union representatives and green energy groups sued the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Monday for canceling the Biden-era “Solar for All” program.
Filed in federal court in Rhode Island, the lawsuit accused the agency of illegally terminating the $7 billion program without congressional approval. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has been axing funds for massive Biden-era initiatives in his bid to make the EPA an “exceptional steward of taxpayer dollars,” eliminating grants for environmental justice and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) that President Donald Trump campaigned against.
“Plaintiffs demand a jury trial on all issues triable of right by a jury,” the lawsuit states. “For the reasons set forth above, Plaintiffs seek equitable relief to ensure the continuation of the Solar for All grant program and its promise of the delivery of energy resources and their benefits.”
The EPA launched an audit of the program in March, and the agency has also been working to reclaim $20 billion in grants awarded to other organizations under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF), a $27 billion funding pool created under former President Joe Biden’s signature Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
An EPA spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation that “in keeping with longstanding practice, EPA does not comment on pending or current litigation.”
Notably, the Biden administration also used the program to dole out solar energy grants to some of America’s least sunny regions and to organizations like the Coalition for Green Capital, which has several politically connected senior officials.
“Plaintiffs include business owners and non-profit organizations that made business decisions and incurred expenses in reliance on the Solar for All grant awards. Plaintiffs lost business opportunities as a result of the wrongful termination efforts, and had their missions thwarted by the unlawful agency action,” the lawsuit alleges.
“Plaintiffs also include labor unions, who lost Solar for All’s support for the creation of apprenticeship programs and well-paying jobs that would have brought in new members, as well as an individual homeowner who lost the ability to receive no cost access to the reduced energy costs associated with solar energy because of Defendants’ decision to terminate the grant program,” it continues.
The EPA already froze $20 billion in climate grants awarded to various green groups under the GGRF, which has resulted in an ongoing legal battle. Solar for All represents the remaining billions from the $27 billion GGRF program.
“One of the more shocking features of Solar for All was with regards to the massive dilution of the money as many grants go through pass-through after pass-through after pass-through after pass-through, with all of the middlemen taking their own cut—at least 15% by conservative estimates. What a grift!” Zeldin said on Aug. 8. “The bottom line again is this: EPA no longer has the authority to administer the program or the appropriated funds to keep this boondoggle alive.”
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