States sue to reinstate Solar for All grants after EPA termination

California and nearly two dozen other states on Wednesday and Thursday filed two federal lawsuits challenging the Trump administration's August termination of a $7 billion Solar for All grant program that had been intended to expand rooftop and community solar in low income and disadvantaged communities across the United States. One suit, filed in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, seeks monetary damages for what the plaintiffs say is a breach of grant agreements; a second, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, asks a judge to declare the cancellation unlawful and to order the Environmental Protection Agency to reinstate the program.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the suits, which involve 23 states and the District of Columbia that were among about 60 recipients awarded Solar for All grants under the EPA in July. Plaintiffs include Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin, as well as the city of Washington, D.C. Washington Attorney...