Last year, the federal government awarded states billions of dollars to help low-income households and communities access solar energy. But in August, the Trump administration canceled the funding. 

Now, more than 20 states are suing the federal government over what they say is the “unlawful’ termination of the program and its funding. And despite losing more than $100 million, West Virginia is not among the states challenging the federal cut.

This comes as power rates for people across the country are rapidly increasing, especially in West Virginia, as the state has one of the fastest-rising residential electricity rates in the country. 

Ciera Norvell, a Cabell County resident, is facing a $360 power bill this month — nearly triple what it once was for her two-bedroom apartment. 

“We’re always talking about it at work,” she said. “Everybody’s talking about how their electric bill is going up.”

As electricity costs rise and solar becomes cheaper, people have begun turning to solar energy to help save money on their power bills. But even then, the cost of installing the renewable energy source has been too high for lower-income households. 

Norvell has considered investing in solar panels to help reduce her power bills, but it’s still too costly for her. 

“It just feels hopeless,” she said of the growing electricity costs, adding that solar “is almost the only option, but it’s so cost-prohibitive.”  

The federal Solar for All program was intended to help fill that gap.

In 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded $7 billion to a collection of states, localities and nonprofits to help low-income and disadvantaged households access solar energy. The Biden-era program was estimated to benefit nearly one million households throughout the United States.

Through the federal program, the EPA awarded West Virginia’s Office of Energy $106 million to create an affordable solar program for the state’s low-income communities. The office outlined options for both homeowners and renters to invest in rooftop solar. The plan also offered a third option that would have allowed participants to instead invest in a centralized solar system run by utility companies. 

Across all three programs, the office’s overall goal was to save participating households 30% of investment costs. But those “projections were not final and would have been refined through further program development,” said Chelsea Morrison, communications manager for the state’s Office of Energy. 

The funding was also intended to help support workforce development and training programs through financial and technical assistance to grow West Virginia’s solar workforce. 

Because much of the program was under development, including eligibility requirements and participation guidelines, when the federal government canceled its funding, there was no estimate for how many West Virginia households could have benefited or saved through the program. 

In August, the EPA announced that it intended to rescind the 60 grants the agency awarded to states, localities and nonprofits the year before, which was another step in the agency’s clawback of funding earmarked for renewable energy sources. 

Soon after, a dozen West Virginia environmental organizations and companies sent a letter to Gov. Patrick Morrisey and Attorney General JB McCuskey asking them to defend the federal program and its funding to West Virginia. 

“We urge you to use every tool at your disposal to push back against this unwarranted action that will harm families and small businesses across West Virginia,” the letter said.

In October, a coalition of more than 20 states led by Washington, Arizona and Minnesota sued the EPA over its decision to cancel the $7 billion Solar for All program. West Virginia was not part of the lawsuit.

The states alleged that the federal agency “unilaterally and illegally terminated” the program. They also say that the EPA overreached its “constitutional authority” with its attempt to cancel a program and funding approved by Congress. 

The EPA declined to comment on the pending lawsuit as a matter of policy. 

When asked why West Virginia is not participating in the legal challenge, Morrisey’s spokesperson Drew Galang said that the program isn’t as beneficial for West Virginia as it is for states with abundant solar resources like Arizona and Florida.

Galang added that although the state Office of Energy participated in the Solar for All program, the office “has always prioritized reliable baseload generation.” That refers to energy sources that can produce power around the clock, like coal, natural gas, and nuclear power. 

McCuskey’s office did not respond to questions about its decision not to join the lawsuit. 

Over the past few years, West Virginian households, along with a number of businesses, schools and churches, have used solar to reduce their power bills by hundreds of dollars as electricity continues to skyrocket. 

West Virginia’s continued reliance on coal, even as cheaper alternative energy sources have emerged, has contributed to the soaring electricity prices facing residents. And the state’s declining population has exacerbated those increased costs.  

To manage those rising costs, Norvell keeps all her appliances unplugged, crams her household’s laundry into one load and is buying only essential items for her daughter — pushing off the purchase of a new pair of work shoes for herself another year. Her family also skipped out on a typical Thanksgiving dinner so that they could use that money elsewhere. 

“I know for a fact that our Christmas is going to be smaller this year, ” she said. “We’re literally just buying for my daughter, and that’s it.”