Bynum, Merkley Lead Oregon Delegation to Call Out the Trump EPA’s Illegal Termination of Program to Lower Energy Costs
Oregon City, OR – Today, Congresswoman Janelle Bynum (OR-05) and U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley led their Oregon delegation colleagues – Senator Ron Wyden and Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), and Maxine Dexter (OR-03) – demanding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) follow the law and immediately reverse its termination of an $86.6 million federal award to Oregon under the Solar for All Program.
“We are appalled and outraged at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) blatant and unlawful termination of $7 billion in federal funding for the 60 organizations that received awards through the Solar for All program. Solar for All funding has been approved by Congress and signed into law, and cancelling or rescinding these obligated funds is a violation of the law and the Constitution,” the Oregon delegation wrote to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought. “Solar for All is fundamental to the EPA’s core mission of safeguarding human health and the environment, and your actions to illegally rescind these funds will result in even higher energy costs and a less reliable energy grid for families and Tribal communities.”
The $86.6 million grant went to the Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE) to deploy a statewide Solar for All Program in partnership with Bonneville Environmental Foundation and the Energy Trust of Oregon. The funds—which were awarded under the historic Inflation Reduction Act and fully obligated—are intended to help create Oregon’s only statewide residential solar incentive program, but without them, working families across the state will struggle to harness the power of clean solar energy.
The lawmakers emphasized, “If fully funded and implemented, Oregon’s Solar for All program would serve over 8,000 low-income Oregon households, helping families install solar panels on their homes with little or no up-front costs. Until you terminated these funds, the state was on track to launch its Solar for All program and start offering incentives by the end of this year. Your recent actions have jeopardized these crucial services and stripped thousands of Oregonians of access to this cost-effective program.”
“The EPA’s termination of the Solar for All program is a blatant failure of its duty to uphold enacted spending laws and ensure Americans have access to reliable and affordable electricity. Congress has yet to receive satisfactory responses and justifications for many of your unlawful and illogical actions. This is unacceptable and the agency must comply with the law and fulfill its responsibility to protect the livelihoods of all Americans and the environments where they live,” the delegation directed.
Full text of the letter can be found by clicking here and below:
Mr. Zeldin and Mr. Vought:
We are appalled and outraged at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) blatant and unlawful termination of $7 billion in federal funding for the 60 organizations that received awards through the Solar for All program. Solar for All funding has been approved by Congress and signed into law, and cancelling or rescinding these obligated funds is a violation of the law and the Constitution. Solar for All funds help families across the nation access reliable energy at an affordable price. Solar energy is one of the cheapest and most reliable forms of energy, and solar deployment is critical to meeting the nation’s rapid growth in energy demand. Solar for All is fundamental to the EPA’s core mission of safeguarding human health and the environment, and your actions to illegally rescind these funds will result in even higher energy costs and a less reliable energy grid for families and Tribal communities.
In 2024, the State of Oregon received an $86.6 million award from the EPA to develop a statewide Solar for All program. These funds, awarded under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, are fully obligated. Since January 2025, the Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE) has worked diligently in partnership with Bonneville Environmental Foundation and the Energy Trust of Oregon to design a cost-effective program with a focus on efficient procurement and project planning while also building strong partnerships with local community-based organizations across the state.
If fully funded and implemented, Oregon’s Solar for All program would serve over 8,000 low-income Oregon households, helping families install solar panels on their homes with little or no up-front costs. Until you terminated these funds, the state was on track to launch its Solar for All program and start offering incentives by the end of this year. Your recent actions have jeopardized these crucial services and stripped thousands of Oregonians of access to this cost-effective program.
If allowed to spend the federal funds it was legally awarded, the State of Oregon has plans to establish a program that would support solar panel installation on multi-family buildings and the development of community solar projects, while also investing in workforce development activities to ensure a robust and efficient solar industry in Oregon. This program would be the only statewide residential solar incentive program and without it, residential solar will not be a cost-effective option for low-income Oregonians. Now that the EPA has terminated federal Solar for All funds, thousands of low-income Oregonians will suffer from higher utility costs and less resilient energy sources.
The Solar for All program is crucial to meeting future energy needs in the Pacific Northwest while lowering household costs for working-class families. In Oregon, customers have suffered from exponentially increasing energy bills, with some utilities raising prices on residential households by 50% since 2020. Nationwide, the Solar for All program is on track to help more than 900,000 people install solar and reduce their electricity bills by at least 20 percent. The Solar for All program is designed to shield middle- and low-income families from these extreme price increases that place additional financial strain on households that are already struggling to pay their bills.
The EPA’s termination of the Solar for All program is a blatant failure of its duty to uphold enacted spending laws and ensure Americans have access to reliable and affordable electricity. Congress has yet to receive satisfactory responses and justifications for many of your unlawful and illogical actions. This is unacceptable and the agency must comply with the law and fulfill its responsibility to protect the livelihoods of all Americans and the environments where they live.
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