Indigenized Energy Warns of Human and Climate Costs After EPA Terminates $7 Billion Solar Program

BISMARCK, N.D., Aug. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Environmental Protection Agency recently terminated a $7 billion grant program intended to help pay for residential solar projects for more than 900,000 lower-income U.S. households—one of the most sweeping clean energy funding cancellations in recent history.

The funding, part of the Biden-era Solar for All program, was awarded to 60 recipients nationwide—including states, tribes, and regional coalitions—to expand solar access, reduce energy costs, and create jobs. Indigenized Energy is part of a Solar for All award made to a coalition of 14 tribes who banded together to form the Tribal Renewable Energy Coalition (TREC), a partnership designed to bring solar power, lower energy bills, and new career opportunities to Indigenous communities across the Northern Plains.

The termination, driven by the Trump administration, reverses critical investments in the nation's transition to cleaner energy. For Indigenized Energy, it has already meant painful cuts: significant staff reductions and the lost opportunity to participate in a $135 million solar initiative within the broader $7 billion program. These layoffs have eliminated clean energy jobs in Indian Country—jobs that carried not only paychecks but also pathways to skills, dignity, and long-term opportunity.

"This isn't just about numbers on a spreadsheet," said Cody Two Bears, Founder and CEO of Indigenized Energy. "It's about families who can't afford their electricity bills, skilled workers in Indian Country who just lost their livelihoods, and a planet that desperately needs us to heal it. The true cost will be felt in homes, on our lands, and across our shared future."

Indigenized Energy stresses that the consequences reach beyond our organization. Other recipients and clean energy partners across the nation are also facing reductions, cutbacks, and stalled projects, leaving vulnerable households without access to affordable, renewable energy.

For the communities we serve, Solar for All was more than infrastructure—it was a promise of energy independence, environmental stewardship, and economic resilience. That promise has been broken.

Indigenized Energy is calling on policymakers, philanthropic leaders, and the public to stand with tribal nations and all affected communities in the fight for equitable clean energy funding. Indigenized energy remains committed to building a future where Native communities lead the way in clean energy, where culture and land are honored, and where no family has to choose between paying the light bill or putting food on the table.

To learn more or support future projects, visit www.4indigenized.energy.

About Indigenized Energy

Founded in 2017, Indigenized Energy is a non-profit organization dedicated to building renewable energy solutions in Native American communities while creating job opportunities and fostering local capacity building. Their mission is to empower indigenous communities to take control of their energy future and lead the way in sustainable development.

SOURCE Indigenized Energy