Tribal energy advocate: cancellation of Solar for All awards cost Indian Country and denied household savings

Catherine Zing, tribal program policy director for Bridal Energy Alternatives (a Grid Alternatives tribal affiliate), told a Senate Environment and Public Works roundtable that termination notices issued by the Trump administration in August 2025 rescinded Solar for All tribal grants — including awards she described as fully obligated — and that the cancellations amounted to roughly $500 million in lost benefits for Native communities.

"Despite Congress' plain language in House resolution 1 to rescind only unobligated funds, the Trump administration issued termination notices for all Solar for All grants, including fully obligated funds in August 2025," Zing said. She described the Western Indigenous Network Solar for All award as a tribal program that would have deployed more than 14 megawatts of residential solar across six Western states and deliver direct savings she estimated at about $1,300 per household per year in avoided electricity costs over the projects' lifetimes.

Zing described program benefits beyond dollar savings: the program aimed to advance tribal energy sovereignty, train local tribal workforce, and provide outreach and interpretation services for elder and indigenous‑language households. She gave an example from the Four Corners region where a tribal elder’s battery replacement avoided a heat‑related illness after an installation by a tribal‑led crew.

At the roundtable, senators and witnesses described the Solar for All cancellations as part of a broader pattern of actions that advocates said slow clean‑energy deployment and raise costs for consumers, especially in rural and tribal communities. Zing said her organization is pivoting to keep projects moving and pursue other federal support where possible.