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Judge rules against Trump EPA efforts to terminate Solar for All program

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Merino, M. (2026, September 18). Judge rules against Trump EPA efforts to terminate Solar for All program. Washington Examiner. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/energy-and-environment/4734322/trump-epa-solar-all-program-judge-unlawful/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Washington Examiner · collected 2026-09-18 · by Maydeen Merino

Quick Summary

Judge Mary McElroy, a Trump appointee, ruled against the EPA’s decision to end the Solar for All program, which aimed to help low-income communities install solar panels. In August 2025, the EPA announced it would cancel $7 billion from the program, arguing that Congress had repealed its authorization and funding through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. However, McElroy determined that existing grant awards must remain in place despite changes to future funding availability. The lawsuit was brought by labor organizations, nonprofits, and legal centers concerned about the EPA’s actions against clean energy initiatives funded under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.
Written by AI on 2026-09-19, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

In August 2025, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under President Trump terminated a $7 billion Solar for All program, aimed at making solar power accessible to over 900,000 lower-income Americans. The decision was made following the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which Congress believed would repeal the program's authorization and funding. However, on Friday, a federal judge in Rhode Island ruled that the EPA acted illegally by terminating the grants already awarded under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, established during the Biden administration as part of the Inflation Reduction Act.

Judge Mary McElroy, a Trump appointee, determined that Congress intended for the EPA to continue administering the Solar for All grants and vacated the termination. The ruling was supported by a coalition including labor unions, environmental groups like the Conservation Law Foundation, and nonprofits such as Rhode Island Center for Justice and Solar United Neighbors, who argued that thousands of union jobs would be created if the program resumed.

While the judge's decision does not immediately guarantee the release of funds, it could lead to significant changes in how clean energy initiatives are funded and implemented across the U.S., impacting both environmental goals and job creation in disadvantaged communities.

Written for “Solar Program Revival Judgment” on 2026-11-02, grounded in this article and the 3 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Solar Program Revival Judgment
Environment · 4 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans left and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Judge rules EPA illegally terminated $7 billion solar program intended to help poorer Americans Same event
Toronto Star
⚖️ Leans strongly left further left than this Hedges 1 of 22 claims Outlet record 64/100
Trump-Appointed Judge Smacks Down EPA’s Termination of Clean Energy Grants Same event
Mother Jones
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 3 of 22 claims Outlet record 60/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
17
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 17 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
70/100
Washington Examiner's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
4
Environment
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-19 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

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Who wrote this

Maydeen Merino
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All 34 articles by Maydeen Merino →

Topics

Congress EPA OBBBA SFA the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund

Subjects

EPA ORG · 9× Biden PERSON · 3× the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund ORG · 3× Congress ORG · 2× Solar for All ORG · 2× District Court ORG · 1× Mary McElroy PERSON · 1× Rhode Island GPE · 1× Trump PERSON · 1× the Environmental Protection Agency ORG · 1×

Narrative

But McElroy wrote that “while grant funding from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund was to no longer be available following the OBBBA, already existing grant awards were to remain in place, subject to the residual statutory authority under which they were originally obligated.”
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-19
🔮 The EPA in August 2025 said it would cancel $7 billion from the program.
2026-09-19 · Washington Examiner
Judge rules against Trump EPA efforts to terminate Solar for All program · assertive framing

Claims (17 extracted, 0 hedged)

A federal court ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency illegally terminated a Biden administration program aimed at helping low-income communities install solar panels. asserted
communities → rule → panels
Rhode Island District Court Judge Mary McElroy, a Trump appointee, on Friday vacated the EPA’s move to end the Solar for All program. asserted
McElroy → vacate → program
The EPA in August 2025 said it would cancel $7 billion from the program. asserted
it → say → program
The agency argued that Congress repealed the program’s authorization and funding as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. asserted
Congress → argue → Act
But McElroy wrote that “while grant funding from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund was to no longer be available following the OBBBA, already existing grant awards were to remain in place, subject to the residual statutory authority under which they were originally obligated.” asserted
they → write → which
“The OBBBA did not convert SFA funding into a lump-sum amount subject to EPA’s discretion,” she continued. asserted
she → convert → discretion
“Instead, Congress’s clear intent was that EPA continue to administer the already obligated SFA grants. asserted
EPA → continue → grants
Defendants acted contrary to this intent, and with no other statutory authority, when they terminated the SFA program.” The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund is a Biden administration program that was established as part of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. asserted
that → act → Act
The fund included three programs, including Solar for All, which awarded funding to 60 states and nonprofit groups to help install solar energy and storage across the nation. asserted
which → include → nation
The lawsuit was filed by the Rhode Island AFL-CIO labor organization and the public interest law center Rhode Island Center for Justice, as well as the nonprofit organization Solar United Neighbors and other groups. asserted
lawsuit → file → Justice
In a statement, the EPA said it is reviewing the decision and considering options for appeal. asserted
it → say → appeal
The EPA’s attempt to repeal the Solar for All program was part of a broader effort to dismantle the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. asserted
attempt → repeal → Fund
Last year, the agency attempted to cancel $20 billion from the fund’s two other clean energy initiatives, the National Clean Investment Fund and the Clean Communities Investment Accelerator. asserted
agency → attempt → initiatives
The EPA froze the grants and attempted to terminate them, arguing that the Biden administration improperly distributed them by routing them through Citibank. asserted
administration → freeze → Citibank
The agency was quickly met with litigation from three climate grantees: Climate United, Coalition for Green Capital, and Power Forward Communities. asserted
agency → meet → Capital
Last month, a federal appeals court ruled that the EPA cannot suspend $20 billion in grants. asserted
EPA → rule → grants
Six of the 10 panel judges agreed that the EPA likely violated the law when it sought to terminate the grants and claw back funds that were already distributed “based solely on a policy disagreement.” asserted
that → agree → disagreement
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