California joins coalition of states suing Trump administration for canceled solar program funding

"The attorneys general of more than a dozen states on Thursday sued the Trump administration over the termination of $7 billion in funding intended for affordable solar energy projects across the U.S. The coalition, which also included the District of Columbia and other stakeholders, argued in the lawsuit that the Environmental Protection Agency's cancellation of the Solar for All program violated the law governing federal agencies and the constitutional separation of powers."

"The program was introduced in 2022 as part of former President Joe Biden's landmark climate law, intended to make the renewable energy accessible to nearly 1 million Americans. Increasing the use of solar energy reduces reliance on coal, oil and natural gas. Burning these fossil fuels for electricity is a primary driver of climate change globally because they emit greenhouse gases that trap the Earth's heat."

"The EPA rescinded the Solar for All funds in August after President Donald Trump's massive tax and spending law passed in Congress a month earlier, with Administrator Lee Zeldin calling the program a boondoggle. The EPA said in an email Thursday that it does not comment on pending litigation. Thursday's filing in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington was led by Washington Attorney General Nick Brown, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes,"

More than a dozen state attorneys general, the District of Columbia and other stakeholders sued the Environmental Protection Agency over cancellation of $7 billion in Solar for All funding. The coalition argued the rescission violated federal law and the constitutional separation of powers. The Solar for All program, created in 2022 under the climate law, aimed to make solar energy accessible to nearly 1 million Americans. Expanding solar reduces reliance on coal, oil and natural gas, which emit greenhouse gases that drive climate change. The EPA rescinded the funds in August after Congress passed a large tax and spending law and Administrator Lee Zeldin called the program a boondoggle.

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