LAS VEGAS—The sun was setting on Nevada’s clean energy dreams, but a federal judge just kicked open the vault—at least partially. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, under judicial orders, has lifted its icy grip on $156 million in community solar funding for the Silver State. But the storm isn’t over.
Monday’s ruling struck a blow to the Trump administration’s move to freeze climate-related funds, forcing the government to honor its legal commitments. By Friday, the Nevada Clean Energy Fund (NCEF) got its hands back on its Solar for All award, a lifeline for renewable energy projects across the state.
“We appreciate the leadership of Nevada officials in advocating for our communities and securing these critical resources,” said Kirsten Stasio, NCEF’s CEO, in a statement packed with diplomacy but no shortage of frustration.
This whole fiasco started on January 20—Inauguration Day—when President Donald Trump, in a grand act of executive penmanship, shut the tap on energy grants, loans, and contracts from the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Act. The freeze sent states scrambling, legal teams sharpening their knives.
But Nevada isn’t out of the woods. Despite the court order, $7.7 million in EPA Clean School Bus Program funds is still locked away in some bureaucratic purgatory.
That money was meant to roll 25 new electric school buses onto Nevada’s roads—at no cost to schools. Now, it’s gathering dust while Lander, Elko, Lyon, Douglas, and Carson City school districts wait in limbo.
Then there’s the matter of the Walker River Paiute Tribe. Their $20 million Community Change Grant—intended to bring energy upgrades to 150 homes, secure solar and battery storage for a key tribal building, and overhaul water infrastructure—remains frozen. The same court that freed the solar funds hasn’t yet pried open the lock on this one.
“NCEF will continue to press for the protection of legally obligated Solar for All funds, in addition to the unfreezing of other federal funds,” Stasio promised.
Meanwhile, Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford is suiting up for round two. On Friday, he joined 22 other attorneys general demanding the court enforce its ruling and stop the federal government from dragging its feet.
“President Trump’s unilateral federal funding freeze is unlawful and would be devastating to services relied upon by Nevadans all across our state,” Ford declared, throwing down the legal gauntlet.
The stakes are high. The motion filed by the states warns that without access to the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds, states could start feeling the squeeze—fast.
The fallout? Potential cash shortfalls, disruptions to essential services, and a brutal reality check on how much power the federal government holds over state budgets, evidence Nevada ought to start doing for itself.
For now, Nevada has its solar money. But the fight isn’t over. Not by a long shot.
The Old Blog in the Desert 
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