As Virginians continue to struggle to pay rising electricity bills, lawmakers are pushing back against the termination of a program designed to lower energy costs and support the deployment of affordable solar power to communities hardest hit by skyrocketing costs.
The Trump Administration’s plans to terminate $7 billion of funding for the Solar for All program, which helps expand access to solar power and storage for low- to middle-income communities across the country, is the subject of a letter from U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine of Virginia to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought.
Plans to terminate the program come as Americans prepare to face the impacts of President Donald Trump‘s trade tariffs, which will increase the cost of electricity in homes serviced by Dominion Energy in Virginia. Dominion households will pay extra for the energy company’s tariffs on a wind turbine project off the coast of Virginia Beach that will later lower costs for customers.
“As the U.S. faces significant growth in energy demand and everyday Americans struggle with spiking utility costs, it is inconceivable that the Trump Administration would eliminate funding designed to expand solar generation and lower energy costs for low-and-middle-income individuals across the country. We strongly urge you to maintain funding for this critical program that supports U.S. energy security and affordability,” the senators wrote.
The program was expected to provide access to solar for more than 900,000 households and save participating households approximately $400 a year on electricity bills. Virginia was awarded $156 million under Solar for All that will be used to support the installation of nearly 100 megawatts of residential solar to power more than 15,400 households while creating nearly 2,000 solar-related jobs, including approximately 1,200 direct jobs that will help support the burgeoning solar industry in Virginia.
According to the letter, the Virginia Department of Energy (Virginia Energy) was awarded more than $156 million from the program to expand access to solar and storage in low-to-middle-income communities.
Virginia Energy estimates the funding will help provide access to solar power for more than 15,400 households and lower the average utility bill by 20 percent.
“Continuing this program is essential to ensure thousands of low-to-middle-income Virginians can access affordable, resilient and clean solar power,” the senators wrote.
Warner and Kaine have previously spoken out about the need to preserve critical affordability funding made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act. In early August, they condemned the Trump Administration’s plans to terminate $156 million in federal grant funding designed to help Virginians cut energy costs.
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Rebecca Barnabi
