Federal program to get solar panels in disadvantaged areas - including Oklahoma - cut by EPA

States, territories, tribal governments, municipalities and nonprofits were set to get $7 billion to develop residential solar installations in low-income communities. The grant program was designed under the Biden administration and recipients were announced in 2024. In a video posted on Aug. 8, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the cancellation of "Solar For All." The program's termination is part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, he said, which was passed in July. The federal solar program was intended to develop installations in low-income communities. Some of the awardees, which reached nationwide, were in the late stages of their projects. Oklahoma was one of a small handful of states that did not receive direct funding. Two nonprofits, Inclusive Prosperity Capital (IPC) and the Clean Energy Fund of Texas, were tasked with providing resources to Oklahoma and several other states. The organizations are investment funds that finance renewable energy development and other climate-friendly projects. Tribal nations, including the Caddo Nation, were also subrecipients of the grants. The Oweesta Corporation was awarded $156 million to distribute financial support for solar panels, battery storage and workforce development opportunities to the tribal nations. Zeldin's cancellation of the program is one of several efforts by the Trump administration to obstruct renewable energy projects. Trump's megabill set expiration dates for tax credits on wind and solar, electric vehicles and home energy efficiency products like heat pumps. Some entities, including IPC, have indicated they plan to challenge the cancellation. "We don't accept this termination," CEO Kerry O'Neill said. "We believe it's illegal, and we are going to fight through all kinds of avenues that we're able to." A spokesperson for the Clean Energy Fund of Texas declined to comment on the state of the program. O'Neill said IPC did not yet have specific plans for Oklahoma, but at least one organization from the state attended the group's informational webinars. "To me, this just speaks to, 'Wow, we had these, kind of, carefully laid stage plans - we were going to be able to accelerate all that - it was going to happen much faster because communities want this," she said. "People want this." "The small businesses who are trying to figure out how to grow their solar businesses in states like Oklahoma want it now." As projections for electricity demand soar, O'Neill said the solar installations would have saved families a minimum of 20% on their bills. O'Neill did not specify whether IPC was in contact with the EPA or when a challenge to the termination could happen.