--- title: "Trump Admin Caught Illegally Canceling Billion-Dollar Solar Project That Would Have Helped Lower Utility Bills Across the Country" description: "The EPA under Donald Trump is refusing to dish out $7 billion to provide cheap, green energy to low-income Americans." date: "2026-11-08" modified: "2026-11-08" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins.md" url: "https://futurism.com/science-energy/trump-epa-zeldin-solar-energy-utility-bills" categories: - "Energy" - "Renewable Energy" - "Science & Energy" - "Solar Power" --- # Trump Admin Caught Illegally Canceling Billion-Dollar Solar Project That Would Have Helped Lower Utility Bills Across the Country ![A 4.5 MWdc solar project installed with a 3.8 MWh lithium-ion storage solution on a landfill cap site located in Amesbury, Massachusetts.]() *CS Energy* Donald Trump and his Republican lackeys were decimated in this week's [midterm elections](), in large part thanks to an ongoing cost of living crisis. While there are many factors making life hard on Americans financially, one of the key stressors is the cost of energy, which [has skyrocketed]() in the wake of the tech industry's data center buildout. Much of that pain could have been avoided — or at least pre-empted — had the Trump administration allowed a billion-dollar solar panel development project go ahead as planned, Boston-area public radio station [*WBUR* reported](). According to the broadcaster's reporting, the Environmental Protection Agency under Trump appointee Lee Zeldin has refused to dish out billions of congressionally-approved funds meant to expand access to solar energy in low-income communities. The Biden-era program, dubbed "Solar For All," earmarked $7 billion for distribution to solar energy developments led by states and Tribal governments. States like Massachusetts and Michigan were previously approved for $156 million, while others like Arkansas were set to receive over $93 million. But when it came time for the federal government to pay the piper, Zeldin and the EPA [refused](), calling it a "boondoggle." That decision set off an immediate legal battle, which was [recently resolved]() in favor of the Solar For All recipients. Despite a federal court order that the government dish out the funds, the EPA has yet to loosen its purse strings, leaving questions as to whether the agency will appeal the decision — or even ignore it entirely. "This is a program that has the potential to lower people's energy bills, get inexpensive clean electricity on the grid, and help the communities that the Solar For All program was designed to help," senior attorney at the Conservation Law Foundation James Crowley, who is representing plaintiffs in one of the court cases, told *WBUR*. Though it might be one of the more ironic examples of Zeldin's EPA shooting itself in the foot, it's hardly the first. Zeldin, a former center-right Republican turned MAGA-die hard, has moved aggressively to [dismantle dozens of environmental regulations]() since winning the job, many of which were explicitly designed to protect poor American communities. So while Trump's side may have lost handily in the midterms, it's clear his administration's war on poor and working class Americans is far from over — as the ongoing refusal to release cheap, green energy makes abundantly clear. **More on solar energy:** *[Solar Panels Are Now Producing So Much Power That They're Leaving Nuclear Plants in the Dust]()* ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() ## More - [Trump Changes EPA Rules to Allow Vastly More Pollution]() - [Trump Admin Cancels Programs to Protect Children From Toxic Chemicals]() - [Donald Trump Is Dropping Climate Change Impact From Governmental Reviews]() - [Regardless of Who The President is, Man-Made Climate Change is Real]() - [Rooftop Solar Provides a Record-Breaking 48% of South Australia’s Power]() - [Take a Look at This Electric Motorhome Powered by Solar Panels and a Battery Pack]() - [New NASA Visualization Shows Where This Month’s Solar Eclipse Will Be Visible]() - [Researchers Say Solar Is Getting So Good That People Could Start Quitting the Electric Grid]()