By Lisa Surg | Within the news of the climate
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On Thursday, members of the US House from North Carolina condemned the Environmental Protection Agency to cancel all the solar and backward communities under the Biden Administration to increase access to solar energy into low -income and backward communities.
Of these grants, $ 156 million was given on April 2024 to the State Alliance – NC Clean Energy Fund, NC Department of Environmental Standards, Modern Energy and NC Clean Energy Technology Center.
According to DEQ spokesman Sasha Medina, the effort was received by about $ 10 million in preliminary planning funds until March 2025, but the recent dollar was not immediately available.
Members wrote, “We urge you to overturn the decision, which will increase energy costs for our constituencies, eliminate North Carolina’s jobs, and have a negative impact on communities across the state.”
USEPS Deborah Ross, Valerie Fashi, Don Davis and Alma Adams signed the letter.
EPA Administrator Li Zidlon on Thursday announced the move on the social media site X, which first pointed to a major beautiful bill act: “EPA no longer has the legal authority to manage the program or allocate the Bondgel to keep it alive.”
The Trump administration’s new law is certainly convinced to expand the legalism that it has found about dealing with most climate programs that the Congress approved in the 2022 inflation Act.
In the new law, the Congress did not completely withdraw the programs. It only eliminated the relatively small amount that the Biden administration was not bound by grants. But the Trump administration is arguing that the impact was the same as the Congress completely eliminated the programs, as it now lacks the money left behind for the management of the programs.
The North Carolina House Democrats writes that the EPA action could violate the federal law.
Members wrote, “North Carolina has long been a leader in a clean energy economy, and the administration’s measures over the past seven months threaten billions of dollars in economic investment in our state.” “Once again, we urge you to review this careless and illegal act.”
In Washington, Sierra Club’s Climate Policy Director Patrick Drip blew up President Donald Trump on supporting the foam fuel industry in the “national energy” national energy emergency, while renewing renewable energy projects “Slage Hammer”.
“Solar energy is cheaper, clean and more reliable than dirty fiancé fuel,” Drip said in a statement. “By recovering these grants, Donald Trump and Lee Zallon are denying our weakest communities to a resource that will help relieve their financial burden and improve their standard of living.”
The program contains 60 grants across the country, North Carolina and 48 other states, as well as six local American tribes and five multi -state alliances. The Biden administration said last year that at the national level, the program could provide solar energy to 900,000 households in low -income and backward communities, the Biden administration said last year.
According to the DEQ, in North Carolina, all grants had to serve 12,500 low income and backward communities across the state, including solar state and federally recognized as federal. The plan was to launch at least 43 MW residential solar by the end of the five -year program.
DEQ spokesman Josh Castensky said the agency “is” familiar with the recent message on social media but there is no regular dialogue with the EPA in the program. “
The program is a part of a wide range of greenhouse gas reduction funds, and the administration has already tried to cancel the fund for the “Green Bank” programs that make up the most part of the fund.
Steve Clend, Executive Director of NC Clean Energy Technology Center, told Anti -in -Wheat News that the state’s solar for all the program “Modern Pilot Program” is developing, including the option of solar pulse batterry for households, which includes electric oxygen medical equipment.
In North Carolina, for all, solar -only family homes and multi -family housing will launch a number of expensive projects that are owned by non -profit and public organizations. It also planned to launch a community solar pilot program, which includes municipal utility and Electric Coopes.
North Carolina is a good place for solar projects. According to the Federal Energy Information Administration, in 2023, it ranks fourth in the nation in the capacity to generate solar energy, with about 6,600 MW and the fifth in total solar power generation. But it is also adding a natural gas infrastructure in a sharp clip.
“North Carolini residents are facing high -energy bills, causing widespread costs through our dependence on fossil fuel power plants,” said David Kelly, the Environmental Defense Fund’s North Carolina State Director David Kelly. “The purpose of all the solar program is to reduce domestic energy costs, recognizing that clean energy is cheaper than sources of pollution power. Canceling these funds will make it difficult for the working families to afford their useful bills.”
Climate news reporter Marian Lavel participated in the story.
