Overview: California Attorney General Rob Bonta has taken legal action against the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over two major decisions that threaten environmental protections and clean energy development. The state has joined a 23-state coalition to urge the EPA to withdraw its proposal to repeal greenhouse gas emission standards for fossil fuel-fired power plants, and has also sued the EPA over the abrupt termination of the $7bn Solar for All Program, which aimed to bring affordable solar energy to low-income and disadvantaged communities. Local leadership in the Inland Empire is showing what’s possible when institutions invest in renewable energy, with several large-scale projects completed and new developments required to include rooftop solar.
Aryana Noroozi
In recent months, the state of California has continued to defend national climate progress. Since August, Attorney General Rob Bonta has announced two major actions against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over decisions that state officials say threaten both environmental protections and clean energy development.
Bonta and the California Air Resources Board recently joined a 23-state coalition urging the EPA to withdraw its proposal to repeal greenhouse gas (GHG) emission standards for fossil fuel-fired power plants. The proposed rollback would eliminate federal limits on carbon dioxide pollution and revoke the agency’s prior finding that power plant emissions significantly contribute to climate change.
Fossil fuel emissions remain one of the largest contributors to climate pollution in the nation. Without regulations, the state could face worsening air quality, longer and stronger heat waves along with more destructive wildfires – shifting to urban fires – conditions that all disproportionally burden low-income and minority communities.
“Rolling back emission standards for dirty power plants jeopardizes critical progress at a time when it is most needed to confront the escalating impacts of climate change,” said Bonta in a statement. “We’ve seen these impacts in California just this year with ravaging fires across Los Angeles. The EPA must stop ignoring the facts and immediately withdraw this reckless proposal.”
Approximately 55,082 acres were consumed by the series of wildfires, according to a report from the UCLA Anderson School of Management, with the Palisades and Eaton fires having the heaviest destruction. The Palisades Fire alone consumed over 23,400 acres, and the Eaton Fire burned more than 14,000 acres. The report places the economic toll of these fires between $76 billion and $131 billion, including up to $45 billion in insured losses. Analysts project a 0.48% drop in the county GDP – about $4.6 billion – and nearly $300 million in lost wages, underscoring that investing in wildfire mitigation is far less costly than enduring the long-term impacts on housing, health and insurance markets.
California Sues Over “Solar for All” Termination
Shortly before joining the EPA comment letter, Bonta and the California Public Utilities Commission also sued the EPA over its abrupt termination of the $7 billion Solar for All Program – a federal initiative designed to bring affordable solar energy to low-income and disadvantaged communities.
The lawsuit was filed alongside 21 states, the District of Columbia and several governors. It accuses the Trump Administration of unlawfully revoking funds already appropriated by Congress through the Inflation Reduction Act. The program aimed to reduce electricity bills, expand clean energy access, and establish union work.
“At a time when energy bills are at a record high and only continuing to skyrocket, the Trump Administration is needlessly hampering an industry that can produce safe, reliable, and inexpensive energy,” said Bonta in a statement. “Solar for All was built to deliver relief for all Americans – by lowering energy bills for working families, reducing our carbon footprint, and creating high-quality union jobs that would bolster our economy.”
If this EPA’s decision is upheld, it would cut off nearly $250 million in funds to California alone; this includes $200 million for community solar projects that guarantee 20% monthly discounts for low and middle income families, and $9 million for renewable energy workforce training programs. Additionally, the elimination of the 30% residential solar tax credit come January 2026, as well as reduced payouts under California’s new NEM 3.0 net-metering program mean that homeowners and small businesses will soon face higher costs to install rooftop systems.
However, a few key programs remain to help keep clean energy within reach. The Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) continues to fund solar and battery storage projects in disadvantaged communities. The Disadvantaged Communities – Single-Family Solar Homes (DAC-SASH) program provides direct financial assistance to qualifying low-income households. In addition, California maintains a property tax exclusion for solar installations, ensuring that rooftop systems do not increase a homeowner’s tax bill.
Local Leadership: Going Solar in the IE
Even as the EPA moves to dismantle national clean-energy programs, the Inland Empire has shown what’s possible when local institutions invest in renewable energy, quietly becoming a regional model for solar resilience. According to recent reporting from Community Forward Redlands, Loma Linda University Health now operates a two-megawatt renewable microgrid made up of more than 3,600 solar panels and a Tesla battery that can supply six hours of back up power. The system meets nearly 87% of its daily energy needs, saving up to $1.5 million per year, locking in steady energy rates for three decades.
Similarly, Esri in Redlands installed 1.8 megawatts of rooftop panels across its campus, and Kaiser Permanente Ontario Medical Center completed a 2-MW solar canopy with 9 MWh of storage in 2025. Other IE-based large scale efforts include the University of Redlands’ two-phase campus build, Amazon Air Hub’s rooftop solar and Altus Power’s San Manuel Landing. At the policy level, Redlands now requires new warehouse developments to include rooftop solar, aligning land-use decisions with long-term sustainability and energy independence goals for the region.
As the Trump administration pushes for incentives to disappear, local success stories across the Inland Empire underscore the urgency of sustained investment in clean energy – especially in regions facing mounting wildfire risk and worsening climate impacts.
Both California’s legal action and local IE solar energy efforts highlight a similar message: building a cleaner, more resilient future will require both policy protection and local commitment.