Nevada’s $156M low-income solar energy grant nixed, legal battle coming
The Environmental Protection Agency has canceled a $156 million investment in rooftop solar geared toward low-income Nevadans after months of uncertainty.
Solar for All, a $7 billion program that involved 60 grants across all 50 states, was meant to offset the cost of installing solar panels on homes and businesses.
The most recent “one big beautiful bill” from Congress clawed back the $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund that financed Solar for All, taking back any money that had not been divvied up. It was a part of the Inflation Reduction Act, a landmark 2022 law that represented the federal government’s largest investment in climate change mitigation in history.
Kirsten Stasio, CEO of the nonprofit Nevada Clean Energy Fund, called the termination notice it received Thursday evening a “temporary setback.” The organization is the designated steward of Nevada’s Solar for All grant, tasked with collecting applications and administering it.
“The federal government’s termination of Solar for All means that tens of thousands of Nevada households will continue to struggle with rising utility bills with no hope of relief,” Stasio said. “We expect legal action to be taken to restore access to terminated Solar for All grants. In the meantime, the Nevada Clean Energy Fund will continue to provide tangible solutions to Nevada communities through our other programs.”
In response, the Nevada attorney general’s office said in a statement Friday afternoon that it is reviewing the cut to the grant and “considering all available legal options.” Attorney General Aaron Ford, a Democrat who has challenged several Trump administration funding cuts, entered the race for Nevada governor last month.
No authority to administer funds
Thursday’s announcement comes three months after the EPA cut another Nevada Clean Energy Fund program, a $20 million grant meant to improve water reliability and energy efficiency upgrades on the Walker River Paiute Tribe reservation in Schurz, about 100 miles southeast of Reno.
Utility-scale solar projects have been in limbo, too, as outlined in Gov. Joe Lombardo’s letter to the Interior Department on Monday that raised concerns about new requirements for secretarial review of wind and solar projects.
The move aligns with the Trump administration’s clawback on the previous administration’s promotion of cleaner energy sources. Instead, Trump officials have been focused on a so-called “energy dominance” agenda, including fossil fuel generation into the mix, such as coal and natural gas.
The Nevada Clean Energy Fund estimated in a statement that 50,000 Nevadans would have seen lower power bills through Solar for All and that demand for solar would have generated nearly 1,000 new jobs.
“With clear language and intent from Congress in the One Big Beautiful Bill, EPA is taking action to end this program for good,” EPA administrator Lee Zeldin said in a statement on X, emphasizing that the agency no longer has the authority to administer the funds because of the law. “We are committed to the rule of law and being a good steward of taxpayer dollars.”
In its Thursday statement, the Nevada Clean Energy Fund disagreed with this assessment, arguing that funds the organization had not yet used are still legally owed to it.
“Because the grant funds awarded to NCEF are obligated funds, EPA does not have the authority to rescind NCEF’s Solar for All funds,” the statement said.
Five Nevada entities highlighted the need for the funding in Wednesday statements, including solar companies Sol-Up and Simple Power Solar, United Way of Southern Nevada, Nevada Rural Housing and The Empowerment Center.
“Nevada Solar for All will lower electricity bills for many rural families who otherwise would be unable to access these savings and increase energy reliability in rural and remote communities that face frequent power outages,” said Beth Dunning, director of community development at Nevada Rural Housing.
Contact Alan Halaly at ahalaly@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlanHalaly on X.
