The Environmental Protection Agency’s decision on Thursday to cancel a $7 billion Biden-era grant program will cost Maine $62 million.
The Solar for All program was created as part of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act to help pay for residential solar projects for more than 900,000 lower-income U.S. households.
The EPA awarded the Governor’s Energy Office $62 million last year through the program. The state estimated it would help more than 20,000 low-income Maine households save between $380 and $1,400 annually on their energy bills through incentives for rooftop solar, support for cooperatively owned projects, and a new community solar and storage program, according to the Governor’s Energy Office.
The program also included funding for worker training for more than 700 Maine residents in electrical work, construction, maintenance and repair, and other building trades, according to the state.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a statement on social media Thursday that authority for the solar program was eliminated under the tax-and-spending law signed by Trump last month. It eliminated the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund that set aside $20 billion for community development projects to boost renewable energy and an additional $7 billion for the solar program.
Dan Burgess, director of the Governor’s Energy Office said cancelling 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.”
Burgess said the Governor’s Energy Office remains committed to the program “and will review all options to preserve it.”
The office said it is reviewing the EPA notice and will determine next steps in consultation with the Maine Attorney General’s office.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
