New Jersey joins multistate lawsuit over EPA decision to end $7B solar energy program
TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced Thursday that New Jersey has joined 22 other plaintiffs in lawsuits against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, alleging the agency unlawfully ended a $7 billion program designed to expand solar energy access for low-income and disadvantaged communities.
The program, known as Solar for All, was created in 2022 under the Inflation Reduction Act to fund community solar projects across the country. According to the plaintiffs, the EPA’s decision to terminate the program has halted solar initiatives that were already underway in several states.
“The Trump Administration’s anti-environmental agenda is not only extreme and harmful, but also completely lawless,” Platkin said in a statement. “The President and his appointees cannot simply eliminate Congressionally-authorized programs on a whim. The Solar for All program was set to bring community solar projects that would help reduce the cost of energy for New Jerseyans most in need, until President Trump and his lackey EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin illegally terminated billions of dollars in mandatory funding under the Inflation Reduction Act. We are taking the Administration to court, and we will win.”
According to the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, the state had been awarded more than $156 million to expand access to solar power and reduce energy costs for lower-income households.
“We applaud Attorney General Platkin for standing up for New Jersey’s working families and joining other states to fight the Trump Administration’s reckless decision to terminate the Solar for All program,” said Ed Potosnak, the group’s executive director. “Solar is now the cheapest form of energy available… ending this program is literally taking money out of families’ pockets. Every New Jerseyan deserves access to affordable, clean power that lowers bills, improves health, and protects our shared future.”
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, claims that the EPA violated the Administrative Procedure Act and the U.S. Constitution’s Separation of Powers Doctrine when it ended the program. A separate complaint was filed in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, alleging that the agency breached grant agreements and failed to act in good faith.
In both filings, the states and other plaintiffs seek restoration of the Solar for All funds, as well as damages, interest, and legal fees.
The EPA has stated that the program no longer has a statutory basis or dedicated funding following the passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” earlier this year, which rescinded unobligated funds from the program. However, plaintiffs argue that Congress only rescinded funds not yet allocated, and that the EPA unlawfully canceled funds that had already been awarded.
The multistate coalition includes attorneys general from Arizona, Minnesota, Washington, California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Hawai‘i, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont, along with the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.
