As many of you may be aware, on the evening of Thursday, August 7, EPA sent out termination letters to all 60 awardees of the national Solar for All initiative. This included Groundswell’s fully contracted and obligated award for our Southeast Rural Power Program, which serves more than 17,000 hardworking families across our region who would each enjoy more than $1,000 per year in electricity bill savings from the projects we have on deck to build.
EPA’s termination letter, however, is just the beginning of an administrative dispute process through which Groundswell will be contending for the affordable energy our region needs – standing firmly with our local utility partners and more than 17,000 rural and small-town families who are our neighbors. To that point, last week we filed our formal Notice of Disagreement with EPA as a first step.
By contrast, the very same week that EPA delivered termination letters, Groundswell was receiving bids on the first 10 local solar and energy storage projects that would cut electricity bills in half for 4,400 families. The bids were highly competitive, with pricing as low as $1.80 per Watt, installed (which is about the best pricing you can get). These projects – located in small towns across seven states, all of which were sited in partnership with the local community – now hang in the balance.
We’ll keep you all up to date on our progress. Whether the federal government honors its contractual commitments to the people of our region or not, we are committed to moving forward in the same spirit of joyful service with which we undertake all our work. And as always, the phone lines are open and the welcome mat is out if EPA or the White House are receptive to a meeting about how this program serves the affordability goals of this Administration.
With Gratitude,
Michelle Moore
Chief Executive Officer, Groundswell