Collins Defends EPA Solar Grant Cuts as Maine Loses $62M
Get the Energy newsletter
Daily energy & climate — solar, EVs, oil, the policy fights and tech bets shaping the transition. Free.
- Sen. Susan Collins defended the EPA’s decision to cancel $7 billion in Solar for All grants, calling the move “abrupt” and “unfortunate” while highlighting the Inflation Reduction Act’s partisan passage.
- EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin confirmed on X that the agency was terminating 60 grants already awarded under Solar for All, saying the action was required by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
- Maine lost roughly $62 million in grant funding that would have helped about 20,000 low‑income households install rooftop and community solar arrays with battery storage, reducing bills and emissions.
- League of Conservation Voters gave Collins a 31% rating on its 2025 scorecard, reflecting a low record on pro‑environmental votes.
- Collins has supported selective climate actions—such as blocking offshore oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Maine and preserving Energy Star funding—yet has not publicly opposed major Trump‑era climate rollbacks.
- Maine’s attorney general joined two lawsuits seeking to recover the pending Solar for All funds after the EPA’s termination.
Why it matters: Maine’s low‑income residents lose $62 million in solar assistance, while Collins’s defense of the EPA’s cut underscores her alignment with the Republican‑led opposition to the Inflation Reduction Act, deepening criticism from environmental groups and highlighting the tangible cost of federal climate policy rollbacks.
Ask SkimNews
