New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin has joined a coalition of 22 other plaintiffs in legal action against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin over the termination of a $7 billion solar energy program aimed at low-income households.
Attorney General Platkin criticized the move, stating, “The Trump Administration’s anti-environmental agenda is not only extreme and harmful, but also completely lawless. The President and his appointees cannot simply eliminate Congressionally-authorized programs on a whim. The Solar for All program was set to bring community solar projects that would help reduce the cost of energy for New Jerseyans most in need, until President Trump and his lackey EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin illegally terminated billions of dollars in mandatory funding under the Inflation Reduction Act. We are taking the Administration to court, and we will win.”
Ed Potosnak, Executive Director of the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, expressed support for the legal challenge. “We applaud Attorney General Platkin for standing up for New Jersey’s working families and joining other states to fight the Trump Administration’s reckless decision to terminate the Solar for All program,” he said. “New Jersey was awarded over $156 million to expand access to solar energy and lower bills for low-income and disadvantaged households. Solar is now the cheapest form of energy available, the fastest energy to get built, and the heathiest—and at a time when utility bills are rising and families are struggling to pay their bills, ending this program raising electricity prices further is literally taking money out of families’ pockets. Every New Jerseyan deserves access to affordable, clean power that lowers bills, improves health, and protects our shared future.”
The Solar for All program was created by Congress in 2022 as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. It directed the EPA to provide competitive grants to states and other entities for deploying solar projects in disadvantaged areas. By August 2024, all program funds had been awarded to selected recipients, including New Jersey.
Two months ago, however, the EPA ended the program and reclaimed most of the funds already awarded. This decision halted progress for states like New Jersey that had begun planning their solar initiatives.
After President Trump took office in January 2025, his administration prioritized fossil fuel extraction while excluding solar power from its definition of resources addressing an “energy emergency.” In July 2025, Congress passed legislation rescinding funds for Solar for All that had not yet been obligated by July 3. However, all $7 billion had already been allocated nearly a year earlier.
Despite this, on August 7, EPA Administrator Zeldin ended the entire program. The agency notified recipients that there was no longer a statutory basis or dedicated funding for Solar for All, although Congress had only rescinded unobligated funds.
The coalition led by Platkin has filed suit in federal court in Washington state alleging violations of federal law by EPA in canceling the program. A separate lawsuit filed in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims argues that EPA breached its agreements with grant recipients.
Attorneys general from several states—including Arizona, Minnesota, Washington, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Hawai’i, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont—and governors from Kentucky and Pennsylvania have joined these legal actions alongside organizations such as the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.
