Labor union representatives and green energy groups sued the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Monday for canceling the Biden-era “Solar for All” program. [emphasis, links added]
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. …snip…
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.
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