- The Trump administration accelerated rollbacks on energy and climate policies, issuing sweeping orders across key federal agencies.
- Moves include scrapping low-income solar funding, halting climate data updates, and tightening tax credit rules for renewables.
- Agencies from Treasury to EPA, NASA, and Interior have been directed to reshape or dismantle core climate and sustainability programs.
Washington has become a whirlwind of executive orders, budget shifts, and policy reversals. In just a few months, the Trump administration has moved to rewrite the rules of energy, climate, and sustainability at a speed not seen before.
For governments, businesses, and investors, these changes are more than headlines — they reshape tax incentives, limit clean energy projects, and disrupt access to critical climate data. This tracker is designed to cut through the noise and give a clear account of what’s happening and why it matters.
Funding freezes, regulatory rollbacks, and executive orders are reshaping U.S. climate and energy policy at record speed. This tracker captures the latest moves since Inauguration Day and will be updated regularly. Buckle up.
August 2025
The U.S. Treasury Department rewrote “safe harbor” rules for solar and wind projects. Developers must now show “physical work of a significant nature” to qualify for tax incentives. Previously, they could secure credits by spending 5% of project costs before deadlines.
The Environmental Protection Agency stopped updating the widely used Supply Chain Greenhouse Gas Emissions Factors database and suspended its creator along with 138 staff members who criticized the administration’s stance on climate science. The database will now be maintained by a Stanford-led consortium.
That same day, EPA head Lee Zeldin announced the cancellation of the $7 billion Solar For All program, which funded rooftop and community solar for low-income households.
The administration directed NASA to prepare for the shutdown of two satellites monitoring climate and carbon emissions. At least one is slated to burn up upon reentry, according to NPR.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the agency will only permit projects deemed the “most appropriate use” of federal lands. The order imposes strict “capacity density” limits, a move that would drastically curtail new solar and wind development.
Treasury tightens tax rules for renewables
On August 15, the U.S. Treasury Department rewrote “safe harbor” rules for solar and wind projects. Developers must now show “physical work of a significant nature” to qualify for tax incentives. Previously, they could secure credits by spending 5 percent of project costs before deadlines.
EPA halts climate database, cuts solar funding
On August 7, the Environmental Protection Agency stopped updating the widely used “Supply Chain Greenhouse Gas Emissions Factors” database and suspended its creator along with 138 staff members who criticized the administration’s stance on climate science. The database will now be maintained by a Stanford-led consortium.
That same day, EPA head Lee Zeldin announced the cancellation of the $7 billion Solar For All program, which funded rooftop and community solar for low-income households.
NASA told to plan climate satellite shutdown
On August 4, the administration directed NASA to prepare for the shutdown of two satellites monitoring climate and carbon emissions. At least one is slated to burn up upon reentry, according to NPR.
Interior restricts new solar and wind projects
On August 1, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the agency will only permit projects deemed the “most appropriate use” of federal lands. The order imposes strict “capacity density” limits, a move that would drastically curtail new solar and wind development.
The policy landscape is shifting quickly, and every month brings a new set of decisions that ripple across industries and borders. For leaders navigating this turbulence, staying informed is essential.
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