Mike Mallett is nervous through a seat in fog rain as he drives through a working-class neighborhood in Columbus, a quaint town in southern Indiana.
He found more than 530 senior centers, multi-family homes and rent support properties that he and many other locals hope to receive $4.442 billion in federal funds for the Solar Power Project. I’m about to do so.
But now the money is at risk.
On January 20th, Donald Trump suspended billions of dollars in federal grant funding for clean energy and other projects across the country, launched by the Biden administration’s Green New Deal.
“We have been working on enslaving plans to provide solar energy to hundreds of households in the two low- and middle-income Columbus areas since April 2023,” says Mallett. The project is expected to roll out in April, with previously approved funds expected to be available by February 14th.
“Unless the Trump administration turns on 180-degree funds, that expectation is clearly not met.”
The funding is part of $7 billion in solar for all US Environmental Protection Agency programs. It aims to help low-income families save money on electricity costs. About $117 million was set for Indiana’s solar projects and initiative.
The Indiana community is a solid Republican Midwest state, an ambitious Biden administration effort that ultimately failed in Rust Belt, where voters abandoned Democratic politicians in recent decades. From the promotion of clean energy, it was set to make more profit than most profits.
By August 2024, $7.8 billion in private investment for many clean energy projects, including solar and battery production, will come to Indiana, some spurring promises of federal grants and local tax relief schemes. I went there.
But Trump has carried out his promise to roll back the clean energy initiative following the campaign, calling Biden’s efforts a “green new scam.”
Despite the potential economic risks to the states where the president is popular, top Republicans support his move.
“The governmental administration in our system has the right to assess how the administration operates,” Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Feb. 5.
On February 10, a federal judge issued an order to lift the funding freeze by the Trump administration.
Indiana is not alone in driving solar energy.
From utility scales to single housing initiatives, solar projects have proven to be extremely popular in the Red State. Texas has the second highest number of solar power units after California, enough to power over 4.5 million homes. Florida continues nearby.
80% of total funding for green energy manufacturing and other initiatives (going to projects in Republican-leaning Congressional districts across the US) is $1 trillion (80% of total funding for green energy manufacturing and other initiatives %).
At 3.4% of Indiana’s total, Trump scored almost 19 points in the November presidential election, producing more electricity from solar from states than Democratic-leaning states such as Illinois, Washington and New Hampshire. I’m doing it.
“The total solar $130 million of all funds awarded to Indiana allows more than 10,000 families in low-income communities across the state, allowing local solar to save and resilience in electricity bills. Transforming the Indiana solar market by benefiting directly from “Schalk, Indiana Program Director for Solar United Neighbors Action, is a nonprofit that helped invest $7.1 million in the state’s solar initiatives. .
“If you look at the polls across the US, it’s really a partisan issue. We have selected staff members for a letter of signature support for both parties (Indiana) and that this is a popular program. I know that.”
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However, some questions are the importance of the federal dollar in driving solar growth at utility scales and its ability to meet the vast demand for electricity more broadly.
“I have a lot of solar (utilities) companies and often they say (tax rebates and other federal funds) are great, but the industry is pretty (to a degree) pretty mature. English: Ed Soliday, the representative of the Indiana Republican, says Ed Soliday, the representative of the Indiana Republican, who supports laws that support the state’s Sun initiative.
“What’s shaking is that commercial solar is far ahead of its rooftop equivalent. You can’t run a manufacturing plant with rooftop solar panels.”
An email sent to the Indiana Republican and a state senator representing Columbus asked if party members believe that a funding suspension could risk solar power projects and disrupt business development. .
In Columbus, Trump’s move is for Mullet and others who have made great efforts to secure funds for solar power infrastructure to be installed in 320 community households, 204 multi-family homes and seven detached-family project households. It’s losing morale.
“Most of us are retirees and volunteers,” he says. “We say at least 20 hours a week (we spent) and there were weeks when we were doing 40-60 hours a week.”
He says that if federal funds are lost, the private funds they are committed to helping to pay for the project will also disappear.
“If a pending case in the U.S. District Court has to run the course all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, delays in the development of (finance) will certainly be measured in a few months and will likely be extended even to 2026.” He says.
According to one study, Indiana residents have seen the country’s seventh highest power rate rise. Almost 83% of the electricity generation is supplied by natural gas or coal plants.
Still, the time and effort Mullet and other community members have invested in the project means they are not trying to give up. He says the work will continue despite the funds flowing.
“It’s literally my dream at a 50-year-old to do this involving low-income households,” he says.
