by Thomas Catenacci at The Washington Free Beacon
Just days before leaving office, the Biden administration quietly waived congressionally mandated “Build America, Buy America” rules for its $7 billion flagship solar program, allowing grant recipients to use federal funds to purchase solar panels assembled with foreign-made components.
The Environmental Protection Agency finalized the one-year waiver for the Solar for All program on Jan. 10, 2025—without issuing an accompanying press release. At the time, the Biden EPA acknowledged that most solar panel components are sourced from China and that the agency’s goals—including “climate action and energy justice”—would be derailed without the waiver.
The waiver, which remains in effect and has largely gone undetected, ultimately enables Chinese manufacturers to reap the benefits of billions of dollars in American taxpayer funding under the Solar for All program.
The EPA initially portrayed the program as part of former president Joe Biden’s “Investing in America agenda” after it selected 60 local governments and nonprofits as recipients of the funding in April 2024. The Biden White House cited Solar for All as one of its top initiatives to “strengthen American solar manufacturing and protect manufacturers and workers from China’s unfair trade practices.”
Biden’s secretive waiver underscores the tension between…
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