Commerce officials in Washington state said on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, that their access to funds remains “variable and uncertain.” (Photo courtesy of Getty Images)
Washington has regained access to more than $150 million in previously frozen federal funds for solar energy projects, state officials said.
For at least a week, the state Department of Commerce was locked out of its Solar for All grant money expected to help thousands of residents in low-income communities access solar power. The money was part of $7 billion the federal Environmental Protection Agency awarded last year to 60 recipients nationwide.
“Our access to funds is definitely still variable and uncertain,” Amelia Lamb, of the state commerce department, said in an email Monday. “As of Friday, our Solar for All grant showed as available and we’ve requested a draw.”
As part of his attack on what he calls the “Green New Deal,” President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies to pause disbursements under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, which included the Solar for All program.
The pause also has affected Oregon, which was awarded $87 million last April for a Solar for All grant for projects for low-income and rural Oregonians.
On Jan. 31, Oregon’s Sen Jeff Merkley and eight other members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee wrote to the new EPA director, Lee Zeldin, demanding a list of blocked grants. They asked for legal justification for the pause and a timeline for reinstating them “as soon as possible.”
The EPA didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday. The Department of Justice declined to comment.
On Monday, a federal judge in Rhode Island determined the Trump administration had flouted a previous court order forcing the White House to reopen frozen funding.
Commerce had initially requested $250 million from the EPA, the maximum the state could ask for. That money would have served 10,000 households.
The state has several plans for the $156 million the feds ended up granting. That includes free solar panel installation for qualifying homeowners, a new community solar program for renters and no-interest loans for energy efficiency upgrades and roof repairs at affordable housing complexes that commit to installing solar panels.
The state also plans to partner with tribes on residential solar projects.
The Department of Commerce has said 90% of the $156 million would be available for direct financial assistance that would serve an estimated 5,000 households in Washington.
In announcing the award last April, former Gov. Jay Inslee also pledged $100 million from the state’s cap-and-trade auctions for solar power.
The state agency was using this year to plan the program before launching in 2026. Commerce had only pulled $110,000 from its Solar for All account before it was frozen.
Still, other federal dollars steered toward Washington remain in limbo.
In a separate directive last week, the Trump administration told states it was halting money from a $5 billion program to build electric vehicle chargers along highways. Washington was set to give out $71 million in federal money from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program.
About $21 million for truck charging and hydrogen refueling stations along Interstate 5 was also on hold. This was part of $102 million awarded to Washington, Oregon and California for work along the interstate corridor.
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Washington State Standard, like Oregon Capital Chronicle, is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Washington State Standard maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Bill Lucia for questions: info@washingtonstatestandard.com.