Federal solar incentives are in the hands of the House Ways and Means Committee as they debate the federal budget.
Trump tariffs on trade partners continue boomerang
Washington, D.C.
The Trump Administration has gone back and forth threatening new 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico since February. After tariffs technically went into effect in early March, President Trump paused them on goods compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) until April 2, according to Yahoo Finance.
21 House Republicans voice support for IRA as budget deliberations begin
Washington, D.C.
As the House Ways and Means Committee started deliberating the government’s 2025 budget in March, 21 House Republicans led by Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) signed a letter asking the committee chair to preserve the IRA. The Republicans noted the IRA’s long-term certainty is critical for developers to plan and finance U.S. energy projects.
EPA cuts climate grants, but Solar for All program untouched for now
Washington, D.C.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under Sec. Lee Zeldin on March 12 unveiled numerous actions to roll back climate-related efforts by the Biden Administration, calling it “the greatest and most consequential day of deregulation in the history of the United States.” A federal judge has since temporarily blocked the rollback of $20 billion in climate grants, according to CBS.
Trump nixes Biden-era solar manufacturing proclamation
Washington, D.C.
The Trump Administration in March rescinded an order made under former President Joe Biden that designated solar PV technologies as necessary elements of national security. The initial determination from June 2022 stated that without this order, the “United States industry cannot reasonably be expected to provide the capability for the needed industrial resource … in a timely manner.”
Minnesota legislature considers sunsetting LMI community solar program in 2028
Saint Paul, Minnesota
New bipartisan legislation in Minnesota proposes to sunset the state’s newly reformed Low-to-Moderate Income Accessible Community Solar Garden program in 2028. A coalition of solar advocacy groups are protesting the bill, saying the rollback would be “a gift to powerful utilities intent on protecting their monopoly and crushing competition — at the direct expense of Minnesota families and small businesses.”
