President Donald Trump’s administration is opening an audit into a “solar panel” program that has cost taxpayers a whopping $7 billion.
The alleged “climate” program was created by former President Joe Biden.
The new audit comes as Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Director Lee Zeldin continues a major crackdown on dubious “climate” spending by the previous administration.
The Biden team pitched its $7 billion “Solar for All” program as an effort to deliver so-called “environmental justice” to poor communities.
Now, the Trump administration is raising questions about where all of that money is going.
The funding is part of a $27 billion pot called the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund – also known as Biden’s “green bank.”
The scheme was created under his signature climate legislation, the “Inflation Reduction Act.”
Despite its name, the wasteful radical spending in the “Inflation Reduction Act” only contributed to American economic woes.
The Biden administration said at the time:
“Under the $7 billion Solar for All program, the 60 grant recipients will create new or expand existing low-income solar programs, which will enable over 900,000 households in low-income and disadvantaged communities to benefit from distributed solar energy.”
President Trump froze the $7 billion for the program on his first day back in the Oval Office.
According to a review of the program by RealClearInvestigations, the funding mainly benefits Democrat-run states and nonprofits aligned with the progressive agenda.
The biggest winner, Grid Alternatives, was awarded $311.4 million to perform its work.
The organization claims it is guided by “equity, anti-racism, economic justice (and) environmental justice,” according to its website.
Some states that received money from Solar for All are among the cloudiest in the nation, such as Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, the Daily Caller noted.
Gloria Taylor-Upshaw, an audit official for the EPA Office of The Inspector General, sent a letter announcing an audit to Julie Zavala, a deputy director of the EPA office responsible for administering the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.
“Our objective is to describe the status of funds, top recipients, and potential risks and impacts of the EPA’s Solar for All program within the Office of the Administrator’s Office of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund,” the letter reads.
“We plan to conduct work at headquarters and regions, if necessary.”
The review comes after Zeldin announced the termination of the other $20 billion in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.
The fund is taxpayer money Biden set aside for a handful of “politically connected, unqualified and in some cases brand-new” climate nonprofits, according to Zeldin.
A federal judge appointed by Barack Obama has temporarily blocked Zeldin’s termination of the $20 billion.
Zeldin has accused the Biden administration of a shady effort in its waning days to reward political allies with tax dollars.
Nevertheless, Zeldin has pledged to get that money back.
“Not only does EPA have full authority to take this action, but frankly, we were left with no other option,’’ Zeldin said in a video.
“This termination is based on substantial concerns regarding program integrity, objections to the award process, programmatic fraud, waste and abuse, and misalignment with the agency’s priorities.”
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