Clean energy advocates warn about the effects of federal investment freezes

Portraits of two women next to a photo of a man wearing a neon green shirt and installing a solar panel on top of a roof.
Tonya Hicks, an electrician and the president and CEO of Power Solutions, and Diamond Spratling, the founder and executive director of Girl Plus Environment, were guests on Wednesday’s edition of “Closer Look.” (Raze Solar)

Under the Biden administration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Solar For All program aimed to improve access to clean energy and solar programs. But at the start of the second Trump administration, $7 billion for clean energy programs and businesses were frozen. The EPA says those dollars are no longer being withheld.

Diamond Spratling, the founder and executive director of Girl Plus Environment, and Tonya Hicks, an electrician and the president and CEO of Power Solutions, were guests on Wednesday’s edition of “Closer Look.”

They talked with show host Rose Scott about why they feel it’s important for communities to have access to clean energy programs. They also discussed what clean energy jobs could mean for Georgia communities.

During the conversation, Hicks confirmed that her company’s access to federal funding has been restored. While Spratling shared that grant funds for her organization are still terminated.