Low-income Hoosiers may be getting back $117 million in grant funding for solar panels cancelled by the federal government.
Rhode Island District Court Judge Mary McElroy ruled last week the EPA’s August 2025 termination of the $7 billion Biden-era Solar for All program was illegal and funds must be restored.
A coalition of Indiana nonprofits and the cities of Fort Wayne, Gary, Indianapolis, and Columbus had been planning solar projects for income-qualified individuals for over a year before funding was cut.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin had characterized the program as fraudulent and wasteful, writing in a social media post, “the bottom line is this: EPA no longer has the statutory authority to administer the program or the appropriated funds to keep this boondoggle alive.”
Alison Becker is the program director for the Indiana Community Action Association’s Solar team, which led Indiana’s Solar for All program. She said the grant’s cancellation was unprecedented.
“It is highly unusual for a grant to be funded and then have it taken away, unless there's some type of malfeasance, which there obviously was not here because it was done for programs throughout the country,” Becker said.
The coalition’s plans for the federal grant included community solar projects to benefit renters and homeowners unable to install panels, resilience hubs and libraries in southern Indiana, and a second phase of projects in additional cities, including Bloomington, Muncie, and South Bend.
Becker said a recent example of potential benefits of the Solar for All program is the two-week loss of power in Gary.
“If you have solar plus battery storage on a home, that home can continue to be solar powered even in the event of a long-term outage,” Becker said. “That would have provided opportunities for people to have neighbors where they could store their medicine, charge their phones, cool off, all of those types of things.”
Becker describes the coalition as “cautiously optimistic” about the future of low-income and community solar in the state.
“People are super excited for a win, excited about having the potential again, but recognizing that there could still be a long legal road ahead,” Becker said.
The EPA said Friday it is reviewing the decision and considering options for appeal.
