Federal judge orders EPA to restore $7 billion Solar for All program
The ruling could revive low-cost rooftop solar for low-income households that lost access when the program was canceled in 2025.
A federal judge in Rhode Island has ruled that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) acted illegally when it canceled the $7 billion Solar for All program, ordering the agency to reinstate funding meant to bring solar power to low-income households.
U.S. District Judge Mary S. McElroy, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, rejected EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin's argument that the budget bill Republicans passed in July 2025 allowed the agency to end the program. McElroy wrote that Congress intended the EPA to keep administering grants it had already committed, calling the termination “contrary to law and in excess of its statutory authority.”
Created under the Inflation Reduction Act, the program was designed to save more than 900,000 low-income households a combined $350 million a year on electricity bills over five years. Plaintiffs including Indiana nonprofit Black Sun Light Sustainability and Georgia installer Sunpath Solar said the cancellation forced them to halt work and absorb costs.
Denise Abdul-Rahman, founder of Black Sun Light, said about 1,000 households in the communities she serves were denied solar that would have cut their bills by at least 20%. “We just want the Trump Administration to comply with the law,” she said.
An EPA spokesperson told Canary Media the agency is reviewing the decision and considering options for an appeal.
This brief is based on reporting by Jeff St. John, published Sept. 24, 2026, on Canary Media. Read the original: https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/politics/solar-for-all-court-ruling
This article was produced with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed by an editor before publication.
