You can count U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., among the chorus of Bay State pols who are less than thrilled over the Trump administration’s decision to cancel a $7 billion grant program for solar energy.

The Malden lawmaker, who sits on the Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee, slammed the Republican White House over what he called its “unlawful” decision to stick a fork in the Solar for All Program.

Several states, including Massachusetts, which was in line for $156 million, were impacted.

“Instead of Solar for All, [President Donald] Trump and [U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee] Zeldin want higher costs for all,” Markey said in a statement.

“This latest heist from the Trump administration will cause energy costs to rise, keep Americans beholden to monopolistic electric utilities, and make our grid overburdened and less reliable,” Markey continued. “Trump and Zeldin’s attacks on the Solar for All program and their attempts to cancel legally binding contracts will mean energy bills are going to continue to spike nationwide.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey also weighed in on the matter last week, urging the administration not to cancel the program. The plea fell on deaf ears.

“Solar is the fastest and cheapest way to bring affordable energy into Massachusetts,” Healey said in a statement

“Affordability isn’t controversial – that’s why states like Texas and Florida are building so much solar. And that’s why my administration has been working hard to deliver more affordable solar to our residents and businesses through new incentives and programs like Solar for All," the Democratic governor continued.

Zeldin announced on social media last week that the administration was ending the program because the passage of the budget reconciliation bill in July eliminated its authority to run the program.

“The bottom line is this: EPA no longer has the statutory authority to administer the program or the appropriated funds to keep this boondoggle alive,” Zeldin wrote.

The program, passed under the former Biden administration as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, would have provided zero-interest loans, solar panels at public housing and funded workforce training, all with a focus on historically underserved communities.

It was set to begin in a few weeks in Massachusetts.

Healey’s office said the funding was set to create 3,000 jobs and provide energy-bill-lowering solar for more than 29,000 households in the state.

Healey’s office said the program would boost the state’s solar capacity by 125 megawatts and touted the effect solar generation already has on the state.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., also weighed in, arguing in a statement that “canceling [the program] would be reckless and further proof that the Trump administration doesn’t care about lowering costs.”

On April 20, solar arrays supplied 55% of electricity across the grid in New England, Healey’s office said. It said local solar relieves stress on the grid’s transmission and distribution infrastructure, The Republican, of Springfield, reported.

For Markey, that’s a lose-lose-lose for consumers, the environment, and the economy.

“American households are already facing skyrocketing energy costs and are begging for relief, not political retribution. Solar for All was set to cut participating households’ average energy bills by $400 a year, with more than $8 billion in savings overall across all fifty states,” he said.

“This program should have been a win for the Administration— cutting it means stealing $4.6 billion away from states with Republican governors or senators," he continued. “A heist of that magnitude simply makes no political or practical sense, especially when energy bills are going up and our grid is desperate for more generation, not more gridlock.”

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