Overview

• The coalition filed two coordinated cases: a damages claim in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims for alleged breach of grant agreements, and a suit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington seeking to overturn the termination and reinstate funding.
• Washington Attorney General Nick Brown, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes are leading the action with participation from California, the District of Columbia and more than 20 other states, along with several state entities.
• EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin ended the program in August, labeled it a “boondoggle,” asserted the agency lacked authority to run it, and withdrew roughly 90% of awarded funds, according to the complaint.
• Plaintiffs say the cut jeopardizes projects intended to reach about 900,000 low-income households, citing losses such as roughly $250 million for California and $156 million for Arizona, including $25 million designated for the Hopi Tribe.
• Earlier challenges by solar companies, nonprofits and labor unions remain pending, and the EPA has declined to comment on the new multistate lawsuits.