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The Trump administration has reclaimed $48.5 million initially pledged for low-income solar energy projects in New Hampshire, drawing criticism from renewable energy advocates and the state’s congressional delegation. The funds were intended for the Solar for All program, targeting low-income communities with onsite solar power systems and community solar arrays. Critics argue this could increase energy costs, disproportionately affecting low-income households and potentially put energy professionals out of work, while some organizations and states plan to challenge the decision in court.
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New Hampshire Solar Advocates Protest $48.5 Million Reduction in Solar Energy Funding
Solar advocates in New Hampshire, supported by the state’s congressional delegation, have expressed outrage over a decision by the Trump administration to withdraw $48.5 million previously allocated for solar energy initiatives benefiting low-income communities.
The funds were earmarked for the Solar for All program, a statewide initiative designed to extend the benefits of onsite solar power systems and community solar arrays to disadvantaged communities across New Hampshire.
Sam Evans-Brown, executive director of Clean Energy NH, labeled the decision a blow to affordable housing in the state. “These grant dollars were going to be used to provide significant savings to people at a time when electric bills are skyrocketing,” he noted.
Impact on New Hampshire’s Largest Solar Installer
Phil Coupe, co-founder of ReVision Energy, New Hampshire’s largest solar installer, criticized the Trump administration’s energy policy as detrimental to the renewable energy industry and supportive of a waning fossil fuel sector.
ReVision Energy has played a prominent role in several public-funded solar installations across the state, including projects in Exeter, Jaffrey, and Kingston, and commercial initiatives like the one at Blasty Bough Brewing Co. in Epsom.
An announcement of the benefits the Solar for All program would offer to low-income households had been showcased on the New Hampshire Department of Energy website as recently as June. However, this webpage is now marked as “Page Not Found.” Nonetheless, the Solar for All page is still live on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website.
Details of the Withdrawn Funds
The EPA details a $43,510,000 award for New Hampshire, intended to benefit those least able to afford solar technology through a collaboration between the New Hampshire Department of Energy, the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund, and New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority.
This program was integrated into the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, initiated by the Democrats and signed by then President Joe Biden. However, under the guidance of President Trump, the Republican-majority Congress scrapped the funds as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). This occurred while states like New Hampshire were preparing to launch installations for eligible homeowners.
In a social media post, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin justified the decision, stating that tax dollars were diluted through up to four pass-through entities, each taking a slice. He added that the EPA no longer possessed the statutory authority to administer the program or the necessary funds to sustain it.
Opposition to the Decision
Dan Weeks, ReVision’s vice president of business development, referred to the decision as a disappointing “11th hour clawback,” that would raise energy costs and put countless energy professionals out of work.
Weeks and Evans-Brown highlighted the negative impact of this decision on low-income households and questioned the legality of withdrawing previously approved funds. Several states and organizations have indicated intentions to contest the clawback in court.
Joint Statement from New Hampshire’s Congressional Delegation
New Hampshire’s two U.S. representatives and two U.S. senators, all Democrats, challenged this unauthorized action in a joint statement, arguing it contradicts the common goal of reducing costs for American households.
According to them, several organizations within the Granite State were ready to use these funds for various energy-saving projects. They further outlined how the Community Loan Fund and New Hampshire Housing intended to utilize these funds to support energy projects for resident-owned manufactured home communities and community solar workforce housing projects respectively.
Coupe remains hopeful about the future of clean energy in his blog post, stating, “the clean energy genie is out of the bottle and even magical thinking and extreme political acts by the fossil fuel-funded Trump administration are incapable of putting it back in.”
However, amidst high energy prices, EPA chief Zeldin has been advocating for the Constitution Pipeline project, which aims to connect natural gas supplies in Pennsylvania to Northeast markets. This project was first proposed in 2012 but was later canceled in 2020 due to opposition and permitting obstacles.
For more information, visit collaborativenh.org.
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