A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration unlawfully terminated $7 billion in clean energy grants intended for disadvantaged communities, established under the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act. Judge Mary S. McElroy, appointed by President Trump, found that the EPA acted contrary to Congress’s intent when it canceled the Solar for All program after Trump's 2025 inauguration. The ruling mandates that the EPA release the funding, which was set to save families $350 million annually on electricity bills and support 200,000 jobs and workforce training opportunities across various states and communities.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-23,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In August 2025, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under President Trump terminated a $7 billion Solar for All program, aimed at making solar power accessible to over 900,000 lower-income Americans. The decision was made following the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which Congress believed would repeal the program's authorization and funding. However, on Friday, a federal judge in Rhode Island ruled that the EPA acted illegally by terminating the grants already awarded under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, established during the Biden administration as part of the Inflation Reduction Act.
Judge Mary McElroy, a Trump appointee, determined that Congress intended for the EPA to continue administering the Solar for All grants and vacated the termination. The ruling was supported by a coalition including labor unions, environmental groups like the Conservation Law Foundation, and nonprofits such as Rhode Island Center for Justice and Solar United Neighbors, who argued that thousands of union jobs would be created if the program resumed.
While the judge's decision does not immediately guarantee the release of funds, it could lead to significant changes in how clean energy initiatives are funded and implemented across the U.S., impacting both environmental goals and job creation in disadvantaged communities.
Written for “Solar Program Revival Judgment” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 3 other(s) covering the same event.
This story was originally published by Inside Climate News and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.
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story → publish → collaboration
A federal judge has declared that the Trump administration unlawfully terminated $7 billion in grant funding for clean energy programs in disadvantaged communities.
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administration → declare → communities
The Solar for All (SFA) program, established during the Biden administration as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, provided dozens of grants for states, municipalities, tribes and nonprofits designed to reduce electric bills, create jobs, and address the greenhouse gas emissions warming the global climate.
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program → establish → climate
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) canceled the program after President Donald Trump’s inauguration in 2025.
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Agency → cancel → 2025
The Conservation Law Foundation, Southern Environmental Law Center, Lawyers for Good Government, and Lawyers’ Committee for Rhode Island sued in the US District Court for the District of Rhode Island on behalf of workers, businesses, nonprofits, and individuals harmed by the withdrawal of funding.
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Foundation → sue → funding
“Congress’s clear intent was that EPA continue to administer the already obligated SFA grants,” Judge Mary S. McElroy, a Trump appointee, wrote in her ruling, issued Friday.
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McElroy → continue → ruling
“Defendants acted contrary to this intent, and with no other statutory authority, when they terminated the SFA program.”
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they → act → program
The ruling means the EPA will have to release the funding, said Nick Torrey, senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center.
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Torrey → mean → Center
“We have seen this administration try to resist and appeal and fight,” Torrey said.
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Torrey → see → ?
“They don’t have any excuse for sitting on this money anymore.
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They → have → money
They have to get this money out.”
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They → have → money
The EPA argued the court lacked jurisdiction over the plaintiffs’ claims and that the claims were meritless.
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claims → argue → claims
The federal agency told Inside Climate News it is “reviewing the decision and considering options for appeal.”
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it → tell → appeal
The EPA awarded the grants in 2024 and said at the time the program would save families $350 million a year on electricity bills and support 200,000 jobs and workforce training opportunities.
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program → award → jobs
Among the recipients was a coalition of nonprofits in Florida, which received $156.1 million to create new and expand existing solar programs for low-income communities in the state.
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which → receive → state
The program was canceled before much of the funding could reach communities, according to the groups involved in the litigation.
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much → cancel → litigation
In 2025 Congress approved the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which repealed unobligated funding aimed at greenhouse gas emissions.
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which → approve → emissions
The groups argued the program’s termination was unlawful because the funding was already obligated.
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funding → argue → ?
The lawsuit was filed on behalf not of grant recipients but what the litigation described as “downstream beneficiaries.”
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litigation → file → beneficiaries
Among them were solar companies that invested in personnel and equipment based on funding awarded to the states of Georgia and Pennsylvania, a labor union that helped develop an implementation plan in Rhode Island, and a nonprofit that received a sub-award from a grant to the state of Indiana.
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that → invest → Indiana
Grant recipients filed two subsequent lawsuits against the EPA.
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recipients → file → EPA
State grant recipients also filed challenges in the Court of Federal Claims.
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recipients → file → Claims
The Aporia
