They can’t get out, at least not at this time.
More than $400 million in federal funding for Texas-based organizations to implement clean energy programs remains frozen, jeopardizing efforts to expand access to rooftop solar panels and battery storage systems in disadvantaged communities across the state.
The frozen grants are part of the Environmental Protection Agency’s $7 billion Solar for All program, which was created by the Biden administration’s 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.
President Donald Trump first paused funds from this law and another climate-related law via his “Unleashing American Energy” executive order in late January. After a federal judge reiterated a court order that the Trump administration must release frozen grants this week, the EPA is now saying some grants from the two laws remain inaccessible because the agency is concerned about potential waste, fraud and abuse, without sharing information about any specific Solar for All issues.
Harris County led a statewide coalition — including the cities of Houston, San Antonio, Austin and Waco, as well as Dallas County — in securing nearly $250 million from the Solar for All program last April. The coalition wants to use the money to help more Texas residents afford solar panels and to provide backup power to local community centers, among other goals.
Clean Energy Fund of Texas, a Houston-based “green” bank, was awarded $156 million from the Solar for All program. The nonprofit plans to partner with Texas Southern University to deploy solar and battery technologies at historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic serving institutions and tribal colleges and universities across the southeastern United States.
[…]
Michelle Roos, director of the Environmental Protection Network, a national nonprofit focused on EPA activities, called the agency’s claims of potential waste, fraud and abuse a “lie.”
“This is just another attempt to try to shut down and deny people the opportunity to make the country healthier,” Roos said.
The Solar for All funding isn’t disbursed all at once; rather, groups submit reimbursement requests for their program expenses. Harris County is the sole entity receiving the coalition’s $250 million in funds from the federal government, which it passes through to the other groups. $54 million of that is allocated for the county itself.
So far, the county has only received approximately $30,000 of its share of funding, which has been used to hire an employee to oversee Solar for All activities, Menefee said. His office is “leaning heavily” on filing its own lawsuit fighting the Solar for All funding freeze, he said.
“One thing there is not in (the other two lawsuits) is representation from the South,” Menefee said.
See here for some background. I agree with Ms. Roos’ evaluation, but I would have included profanity in mine. This would benefit a lot of people, in the normal course of events by providing lower energy bills, and in times of power outages – you know, those extremely rare times around here when the grid fails us – by providing battery backup power. While there has already been successful litigation against this chaos and destruction, it would seem that County Attorney Menefee will need to do his thing to get what is rightfully ours. Let’s hope we can get it soon.
I need my palate cleansed, so in honor of how I started this post, here’s a little number you might be familiar with:
Hope that helped.