Kalamazoo County suing EPA over $18.9 grant termination
KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — Kalamazoo County is suing the federal government after an $18.9 million grant that the county accepted back in December was frozen.
The decision to pursue legal action against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was decided by the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners after a closed session Tuesday. It came after the county was notified that the $18.9 million Community Change Grant from the EPA was being terminated.
The funds were meant to create jobs, train skilled workers, support contractors and suppliers as well as improve environmental health and home safety, the county wrote in a release.
Kalamazoo City Commission agrees to match $500,000 in DNR funds for Milham Park makeover
'This termination cuts off millions of dollars in economic benefits and halts essential support for skilled labor at a time when it is desperately needed. It erases months of planning, mobilization, and community engagement, leaving families without the safer, healthier homes they deserve and workers without the high-demand skills they were promised,' wrote the county.
Of the $18.9 million, local contractors, tradespeople and suppliers were set to receive $12.1 million and $2.1 million was earmarked for training 150 new skilled laborers in fields like carpentry, electrical work, HVAC and plumbing, according to the county.
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The county said it believes it has 'operated in good faith' and met all the expectations of the grant. It also said the grant was going toward causes that are 'entirely consistent with the EPA's mission of protecting human health and the environment.'
'This decision is a violation of our contractual agreement and undermines the investments made in our workforce and community,' Kalamazoo County wrote.
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