Judge Rules EPA Termination of Solar for All Program Was Illegal

Judge Mary McElroy, a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, ruled on the termination of the Environmental Protection Agency’s $7 billion Solar for All program. The judge found that the EPA acted outside the bounds of its statutory authority under the Administrative Procedure Act. The ruling stated that Congress intended for the EPA to continue administering the already obligated grants, contrary to the government's argument that the funding was discretionary.

The decision was part of a series of legal challenges to the Trump administration’s efforts to influence renewable energy development. The Solar for All grant program was part of a larger fund established under the Inflation Reduction Act, aimed at accelerating the clean energy transition.