Earlier this month, the Trump administration canceled a Biden-era solar energy program meant to help lower-income residents.
The “Solar for All” grant program was meant to make funding available for solar energy projects in low-income areas across the country. The cancellations are part of a change in government policy toward renewable energy, said Kathiann Kowalski, energy reporter for Canary Media.
“The Biden administration wanted to do something about climate change and stimulate jobs in infrastructure. The Trump administration seems intent on wiping out most of that,” Kowalski said.
State Rep. Tristan Rader (D-Lakewood), who was also the former state director for Solar United Neighbors, said the rollouts were a benefit for communities. He previously worked with groups nationwide, including state governments like Ohio’s, to receive grants and start projects. He said solar is a reliable energy resource.
“It literally injects energy into your home [so] that you don't use the energy off the grid when the sun's out,” Rader said. “With net metering, you can use that energy, and any you overproduce, you can put back on the grid and get a credit for it.”
The program also aimed to reduce racial disparities in energy. People of color, Kowalski said, citing a study published in Energy Research & Social Science, spend a higher amount of money on energy compared to their white peers. Kowalski added that health benefits would have followed.
“Underserved neighborhoods often have truck routes going through them with diesel, they often have factories nearby,” Kowalski said. "Particulate matter is one of the biggest killers in the world. Asthma rates in Cleveland are higher, [and] a lot of other cities, too.”
Particulate matter pollution can cause serious health problems when inhaled, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Solar power has been the target of opposition by many Republican officials and voters. This also extends to wind energy; nearly a quarter of Ohio counties have banned development of solar and wind projects in their jurisdictions. Opponents argue that limited sunlight in Ohio makes solar energy an unreliable source.
Rader said instances in which solar energy could be inhibited, including obstacles to the panels, made some contractors hesitant to provide it, but disputed low sunlight as a reason for it being unviable.
“We have data going back 50 years on irradiation — meaning how much solar a patch of land gets all over the country — and in most places, even in Alaska, who actually has a community solar program, it’s going strong because of the high rates," Rader said.
An EPA official called the project a “boondoggle,” and said funds were misused by organizations, a claim Kowalski said lacked evidence. Trump administration officials said the cancellation would save taxpayers money.
But local officials are opposing the move. The mayors of Akron and Cleveland, two cities receiving grant money, condemned the Trump administration's actions in a letter, while U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown challenged the legality of the cancellation, a claim echoed by Kowalski.
“Congress had obligated the funds. Congress appropriated the funds in prior years. EPA committed to spending the funds last year, and entered into contracts, which are lawfully binding agreements with the entities,” Kowalski said.
Litigation challenging Solar for All’s cancellation is currently underway, though an injunction to continue relief was reversed by the Sixth Circuit, she said.
Renewable energy sources, according to Rader, are cheaper and more effective than other sources and would continue to grow regardless of the cancellation of funds. But the cuts, he said, would lead to more inequality.
“What these types of subsidies did was shift some of those benefits to the people who need them the most," Rader said. "What we're doing now is heading fast towards a distribution of this energy and all the benefits towards the top 1% rather than the people who really need it.”
