Christopher Schuler, christopher.schuler@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC – Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $7 billion in funding awarded to states, territories, municipalities, and eligible nonprofits through the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund’s Solar for All program. The competition, created by President Biden’s landmark Inflation Reduction Act, would enable low-income and disadvantaged households across America to access the benefits of low-cost, clean solar energy—benefits that include home energy savings, energy resilience, improved air quality, wealth building, and quality jobs.
The climate law authorized $7 billion in funding for the program, but by last year’s deadline for applications EPA had received requests totaling more than $38 billion. A total of 50 states and territories, 57 municipalities, and 113 eligible nonprofits applied for funding through the program. A full list of recipients of Solar For All awards can be found here.
The EPA estimates that the 60 Solar for All recipients will enable over 900,000 households in low-income and disadvantaged communities to deploy and benefit from distributed solar energy, generating more than $350 million in annual savings on electric bills for overburdened households and reducing more than 30 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions cumulatively, from over four gigawatts of solar energy capacity unlocked for low-income communities over five years.
In response, Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous released the following statement:
“The effects of the climate crisis are not equal. And, until now, the opportunities to seize the power and benefits of clean energy have not been equal. Today, the Solar for All program’s specific focus on assisting low-income and disadvantaged communities—areas historically underserved and subjected to disproportionately dirtier air—will help reduce barriers to clean energy and provide better health outcomes. The massive amount of requests for funding that this program received—from red, blue, and purple states alike—makes clear that there is huge demand for clean energy nationwide and we must continue to fund and expand programs like this to help achieve our climate goals. The Inflation Reduction Act is working, and today’s announcement is proof of the progress we’re making.”
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.