The Trump administration has stripped Maine of a $62 million grant to help low income households access solar power.
In a Thursday letter to the state, the Environmental Protection Agency said the recent Republican tax law, called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, revoked the $7 billion "Solar for All" national grant program.
"Thus, any attempt to continue the program’s administration, in the absence of any authorizing legislation or appropriated funds for that purpose, is no longer legally permissible," the agency said.
But supporters of the national program claim it is being shut down illegally and will hurt Americans struggling with high electric bills.
"Canceling the program deprives Maine of access to affordable solar, energy storage, and the skilled electricians, installers, and construction workers needed to meet our energy and economic needs now and in the future," said Dan Burgess, director of the Maine Governor's Energy Office.................................
The Solar for All program was established in 2022 through the Inflation Reduction Act. The EPA made awards to 60 states and tribes through the program..............................................
https://www.mainepublic.org/climate/2025-08-08/epa-strips-maine-of-62-million-solar-grant
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Dan McKay
This drives another nail into the coffin for the governors energy office who lived off federal funding last year.
on Saturday
Steve Thurston
VT has more installed solar capacity per capital than any other state, yet the capacity factor for solar in VT the lowest of any other state due to short, mostly cloudy winter days. Another source of electricity is needed to cover the 86% of the time when solar panels in VT are producing nothing.
Biden’s IRA added $7 billion to the National debt to fund Solar for All. Every dollar spent subsidizing solar is a waste of money that could be spent more directly on the needs of low income Vermonters.
Most of the money in Solar for All goes to the solar developers in the form of lucrative tax credits and heavily discounted solar panels. VT ratepayers are left to provide the 20% discount on a few of their low income neighbor’s electric bills because the 20 year long term discount requirements in the Solar for All program are not covered in the 5 year limit of its implementation, which is meant to cover the construction period, not the long term reduced electric rate. The electric utilities will be required to reflect the discount on certain low income customers’ electric bills and spread the cost among all other ratepayers.
Trump is right to scrap this program.
on Saturday
Willem Post
Solar is totally wasteful in all of Maine, northern Vermont, northern Germany, the UK, Ireland, etc.
Without subsidies it would not exist
It is long overdue to correct an idiot course of action, instead of mindlessly poring money into a bottomless pit.
on Monday