Connecticut and 21 Other States Sue EPA Over Aborted $7 Billion Solar Program

Attorney General William Tong of Connecticut announced that 22 states and the District of Columbia have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Administrator Lee Zeldin, asserting that the agency illegally terminated a $7 billion program aimed at bringing solar energy to low-income and disadvantaged communities. The Solar for All program was created by Congress in 2022 as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, with the goal of deploying solar projects in low-income and disadvantaged areas. Despite Congress directing EPA to make competitive grants to states and other entities, the agency abruptly terminated the program two months ago, leaving states without access to funds to proceed with their solar programs.

Key Takeaways:

• Connecticut and 21 other states, along with the District of Columbia, are suing the EPA and Administrator Lee Zeldin for illegally terminating the $7 billion Solar for All program.
• The program was created by Congress in 2022 to provide competitive grants to states and other entities for deploying solar projects in low-income and disadvantaged areas.
• The EPA had obligated all $7 billion in funding for the program by August 2024, but instead of following the law, EPA and Administrator Zeldin terminated the program, leaving states without access to the funds.
• The lawsuit alleges that the EPA violated the Administrative Procedure Act and the U.S. Constitution's Separation of Powers Doctrine in unlawfully canceling the program.
• The attorneys general of Arizona, Minnesota, and Washington are leading the complaint, which was joined by the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Hawai?i, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
• The attorneys general of Maryland and Arizona are leading an additional complaint in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, arguing that the EPA breached the clear terms of the agreements and violated the duty of good faith and fair dealing in canceling their Solar for All grants.

Statistics:

• $7 billion: the amount of funding for the Solar for All program that EPA had obligated by August 2024.
• $62.45 million: the amount of funding awarded to Connecticut for the Solar for All program to increase access to solar and energy storage technologies for low-income and disadvantaged communities.
• $76.2 million: the amount that participating households in Connecticut are expected to save through increased incentives, new loans, and lease programs for residential solar and energy storage.
• 2 months: the timeframe in which the EPA terminated the Solar for All program, leaving states without access to funds to proceed with their solar programs.

Sources:

• "Connecticut and 21 other states, along with the District of Columbia, are suing the EPA and Administrator Lee Zeldin for illegally terminating the $7 billion Solar for All program." - Attorney General William Tong
• "The EPA had obligated all $7 billion in funding for the program by August 2024, but instead of following the law, EPA and Administrator Zeldin terminated the program, leaving states without access to the funds." - Gulfoilandgas.com
• "The lawsuit alleges that the EPA violated the Administrative Procedure Act and the U.S. Constitution's Separation of Powers Doctrine in unlawfully canceling the program." - Gulfoilandgas.com
• "The attorneys general of Arizona, Minnesota, and Washington are leading the complaint, which was joined by the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Hawai?i, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont." - Gulfoilandgas.com
• "The attorneys general of Maryland and Arizona are leading an additional complaint in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, arguing that the EPA breached the clear terms of the agreements and violated the duty of good faith and fair dealing in canceling their Solar for All grants." - Gulfoilandgas.com