(Updates with comments from the Environmental Protection Agency in fifth paragraph.)
The Trump administration illegally terminated a $7 billion Solar for All program intended to give low-income communities more access to solar power, according to a ruling by a federal judge on Friday.
US District Judge Mary McElroy for the District of Rhode Island ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency and its administrator, Lee Zeldin, terminated the program without a "statutory foundation."
The EPA withdrew the SFA program in August 2025 following the passing of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act a month earlier, which eliminated the funding for the program.
McElroy ruled in favor of a labor union, non-profit organizations, and solar companies, which are downstream beneficiaries "who expended substantial time and resources in reliance on the grant funding made available through the program."
The EPA toldin a statement that it may now appeal the decision and said the solar scheme had been wasteful.
"The Biden EPA's Solar for All perfectly encapsulates the previous administration's spending habits: throwing money out the door with minimal oversight or regard for efficacy. The Solar for All program was operating with layers and layers of passthroughs, each taking their own cut - at least 15% by conservative estimates".