(Reuters) -The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will end a $7 billion Biden-era grant program that sought to expand solar energy to low-income communities, Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a post on X on Thursday.
"EPA no longer has the authority to administer the program or the appropriated funds to keep this boondoggle alive," Zeldin said in a video post.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law by U.S. President Donald Trump last month eliminated the program's source of funding, Zeldin
added.
Cancellation of the "Solar for All" program had been widely expected. Since taking office in January, Trump has rolled back federal support for solar and wind energy, calling the renewable resources expensive and unreliable.
The grants were awarded in 2024 during the administration of former President Joe Biden to 60 nonprofit groups, tribes and states. At the time, the EPA said the program would serve nearly 1 million households across most U.S. states, lowering electricity costs and reducing emissions.
Michelle Moore, CEO of the non-profit Groundswell, said her organization's $156 million grant would help cut electricity costs for more than 17,000 households in eight Southern states by setting up solar projects that serve rural communities. She was hopeful that the program might be saved.
"A tweet is not a termination," Moore said in an interview. "Last time I checked affordability, and energy affordability specifically, was a priority for this administration."
(Reporting by Nichola Groom; Editing by Chris Reese and Jamie Freed)
