Rep. Carter Statement on EPA’s Plan to Cancel $7 Billion in Solar Energy Grants
NEW ORLEANS, LA – Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-LA), member of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, released the following statement:
“I’m deeply disappointed and outraged to learn that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to cancel $7 billion in solar energy grants meant to help low- and middle-income families get access to clean, affordable energy. These Solar for All grants were designed to bring rooftop solar panels and battery systems to communities that need them most—especially those hit hardest by high energy costs, pollution, and climate change.”
“As a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee—and as someone who represents Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional District, home to one of the most environmentally challenged areas in the country, often referred to as ‘Cancer Alley’—this hits close to home. That’s a nickname we are neither proud of nor willing to accept without a fight. Our communities deserve better.”
“These grants were not just about going green. They were about creating jobs, cutting energy bills, improving public health, and giving long-ignored communities a real chance to benefit from clean energy. State and local groups worked hard to plan these projects, and now the EPA is trying to cancel them for political reasons.”
“This decision doesn’t just feel wrong—it may be illegal. Congress passed laws to fund this program through the Inflation Reduction Act, and now the EPA is trying to cancel it behind closed doors. Even government lawyers have warned that this could lead to serious legal trouble.”
“If we’re serious about justice—climate justice, economic justice, and environmental justice—we must deliver real solutions to the people who need them most. Cutting these grants is a betrayal. It hurts working families, our environment, and our shared future.”
“As someone who helped fund and support the very first solar-powered Community Lighthouse in the Broadmoor neighborhood of New Orleans—a beacon of clean energy and resilience—I know firsthand how transformational these projects can be. They save lives during blackouts. They restore power after storms. They inspire hope in places that have too often been left behind.”
“I strongly urge the EPA to reverse course. Congress made this program the law. It must be respected—and the communities I represent will not be silenced.”
E.P.A. Moves to Cancel $7 Billion in Grants for Solar Energy
Louisiana DENR Granted $156 Million in Federal Solar Funding
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