Fate of climate-friendly grants for Indiana uncertain under President Trump's funding freeze

Indiana nonprofits are unsure if — or how — some climate-friendly grants will move forward. President Trump’s executive order freezing funding from the Inflation Reduction Act and the bipartisan infrastructure law — as well as the lawsuits pushing back — have created a lot of uncertainty.

Kaylee Dann is the Executive Director of Greater Indiana Clean Cities — which is helping to administer grants to install electric vehicle chargers across the state.

The U.S. Department of Transportation said it will put out guidance in the spring regarding the program to install chargers along interstate highways. But Dann said the DOT cancelled a kickoff meeting for chargers in Indiana communities — making it unlikely those projects will move forward.

The EV chargers would mostly have been installed in lower-income areas of central and northern Indiana.

“A lot of these locations that are in the inner cities have a lot of traffic. So by putting in charging stations, you're encouraging more zero emission vehicles in those areas, which would lower the impact and that health burden on those communities," Dann said.

Solar Opportunities Indiana was awarded funding to help install solar panels for lower-income residents and community solar projects. That’s where groups invest in solar and then can receive credits that lower their electric bills.

READ MORE: Historic Black school in Kokomo to go solar with help of the Indiana NAACP.
 

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Program Director Alison Becker said for now, funds through the Environmental Protection Agency are available for grantees and the agency is communicating with them again.

But Solar Opportunities is hesitant to make agreements with communities doing the work — not knowing if they’ll get paid.

“I think people are excited about the projects that they have to offer, and they want to be able to move forward with those. So we're just trying to balance out putting our best foot forward, but also preparing for what might come next," Becker said.

The Indiana Office of Energy Development said it's awaiting guidance from the federal government on its home energy rebate program, which was expected to launch this year.

The Indiana Energy Independence Fund is the state's nonprofit green bank. Officials with the fund said it’s committed to help pay for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects for Hoosiers and organizations in need — whether it receives federal grant funding or not.

READ MORE: The Inflation Reduction Act spurred clean energy investment in Indiana. Will it continue?
 

Rebecca is our energy and environment reporter. Contact her at rthiele@iu.edu or follow her on Twitter at @beckythiele.