When President Trump sent shock waves through the government with his January federal funding freeze, one of the programs affected was the Environmental Protection Agency’s Solar for All fund, which put some local funding in peril. While that fund has been restored, other environmental programs remain in limbo.
The $7 billion Solar for All fund, created by the Inflation Reduction Act, was distributed among 60 recipients across the country last year. Harris County was awarded $249 million to lead a statewide initiative to make solar funding more accessible to low-income communities, including in Austin.
The city of Austin finalized a contract with Harris County for $31.5 million at its Feb. 27 City Council meeting – but in the days leading up to the meeting, whether that money was even available was up in the air.
When Trump announced a halt to all federal funding on Jan. 27, a federal judge immediately blocked it, and other judges issued restraining orders to allow the disbursement of funds to continue. But there was still uncertainty about what funds were available well into February.
While the Solar for All fund managed to scrape by Trump’s funding freeze, other critical environmental programs are still under fire.
According to a memo from the city’s Intergovernmental Relations Office, it learned that the Solar for All fund was back online about a week before the City Council approved the contract. The city doesn’t anticipate any further complications with administering the fund.
While the Solar for All fund managed to scrape by Trump’s funding freeze, other critical environmental programs are still under fire. The EPA froze $20 billion in grants from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund on Tuesday following a scathing letter from the acting EPA inspector general. The letter accused the fund of wastefulness, nepotism, and potential financial fraud – so the program is pausing its distribution of funds while it undergoes review.
This article appears in March 7 • 2025.