D.C. pauses $140M meant for EV chargers, solar power after Trump order
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D.C. is hitting pause on spending $140 million for green energy because officials say they can no longer depend on certain federal grants.
Why it matters: The federal funds would have invested in EV charging stations, solar panels for low-income people and electrification in affordable housing.
State of play: Those programs are now in limbo — pending further guidance from the Trump administration, says city administrator Kevin Donahue.
- After President Trump's "Unleashing American Energy" executive order, which curtailed green energy mandates, the Bowser administration met with federal staff. The conversation left the impression that solar and EV grants "were very highly likely to be frozen," Donahue told the D.C. Council last Thursday.
One grant would have given D.C. $17 million over five years to expand EV charging.
- D.C. was awarded a $62.4 million grant to install solar panels in low-income and disadvantaged communities.
- Another would have invested $60 million in affordable housing energy efficiency.
The big picture: As Trump seeks to slash federal spending, this could be the tip of the iceberg in D.C. On top of federal Medicaid payments, the District's current budget contains approximately $1.7 billion from the feds.
- "There are still many unknown impacts — which may include substantial reductions in funding amounts," Donahue's presentation says.
What's next: The volatility is a headache for the Bowser administration and D.C. Council, leaving fewer federal dollars to count on when crafting next year's budget.
- That's after last year's $21 billion budget was one of the hardest in decades — thanks to declining tax revenue and the end of federal pandemic aid.
- The District's chief financial officer, Glen Lee, predicts "modest" growth for the near future. That's a big decline from the booming 2010s.