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Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Trump cuts hundreds of EPA grants, leaving cities on the hook for climate resiliency
This coverage is made possible through a partnership between Grist and WABE, Atlanta's NPR station. Thomasville, Georgia, has a water problem. Its treatment system is far out of date, posing serious health and environmental risks. 'We have wastewater infrastructure that is old,' said Sheryl Sealy, the assistant city manager for this city of 18,881 near the Florida border, about 45 minutes from Tallahassee. 'It's critical that we do the work to replace this.' But it's expensive to replace. The system is especially bad in underserved parts of the city, Sealy said. In September, Thomasville applied to get some help from the federal government, and just under four months later, the city and its partners were awarded a nearly $20 million Community Change grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to make the long-overdue wastewater improvements, build a resilience hub and health clinic, and upgrade homes in several historic neighborhoods. 'The grant itself was really a godsend for us,' Sealy said. In early April, as the EPA canceled grants for similar projects across the country, federal officials assured Thomasville that their funding was on track. Then on May 1, the city received a termination notice. 'We felt, you know, a little taken off guard when the bottom did let out for us,' said Sealy. Thomasville isn't alone. Under the Trump administration, the EPA has canceled or interrupted hundreds of grants aimed at improving health and severe weather preparedness because the agency 'determined that the grant applications no longer support administration priorities,' according to an emailed statement to Grist. The cuts are part of a broader gutting of federal programs aimed at furthering environmental justice, an umbrella term for the effort to help communities that have been hardest hit by pollution and other environmental issues, which often include low-income communities and communities of color. In Thomasville's case, the city has a history of heavy industry that has led to poor air quality. Air pollution, health concerns, and high poverty qualified the surrounding county for the Biden administration's Justice40 initiative, which prioritized funding for disadvantaged communities. Thomasville has some of the highest exposure risks in Georgia to toxic air pollutants that can cause respiratory, reproductive, and developmental health problems, according to the Environmental Defense Fund's Climate Vulnerability Index. The city's wastewater woes don't only mean the potential for sewage backups in homes and spills into local waterways but also the risk of upper respiratory problems, according to Zealan Hoover, a former Biden administration EPA official who is now advising the advocacy groups Environmental Protection Network and Lawyers for Good Government. 'These projects were selected because they have a really clear path to alleviating the health challenges facing this community,' he said. Critics argue there's a disconnect between the Trump administration's attack on the concept of environmental justice and the realities of what the funds are paying for. 'What is it about building a new health clinic and upgrading wastewater infrastructure … that's inconsistent with administration policy?' Democratic Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff asked EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin at a recent hearing. Zeldin repeatedly responded by discussing the agency's review process intended to comply with President Donald Trump's executive orders, particularly those related to diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, but Ossoff cut him off, pushing for a specific answer about Thomasville's grant. 'Is a new health clinic for Thomasville, Georgia, woke?' he asked. Thomasville's Sealy said she understands that the federal government has to make hard funding decisions — that's true locally too — but losing this grant has left her city in the lurch. In addition to the planned work on the wastewater collection system, the city needs to update its treatment plant to meet EPA standards. That overhaul will likely cost $60 million to $70 million, she said. 'How do you fund that?' Sealy asked. 'You can't fund that on the backs of the people who pay our rates.' The funding cuts have left cities across Georgia — including Athens, Norcross, and Savannah — as well as nonprofit groups, in a state of uncertainty: some grants terminated, some suspended then reinstated, some still unclear. This puts city officials in an impossible position, unable to wait or to move forward, according to Athens-Clarke County Sustainability Director Mike Wharton. 'Do you commit to new programs? Do you commit to services?' he said. 'Here you are sitting in limbo for months.' Like Thomasville, Athens was also awarded a nearly $20 million Community Change grant. The city was going to use the money for backup generators, solar power, and battery storage at its public safety complex — ensuring 911, police, the jail, a domestic violence shelter, and other services could all operate during a power outage. That grant has been terminated. The problem, Wharton said, goes beyond that money not coming in; the city had already spent time, resources, and money to get the grant. 'We spent $60,000 in local funding hiring people to write the grants,' he said. 'Over a period of 14 months we invested over 700 hours of local personnel time. So we diverted our services to focus on these things.' These frustrations are playing out for grant recipients throughout the state and country, according to Hoover. He said it's not just confusing — it's expensive. 'They are causing project costs to skyrocket because they keep freezing and unfreezing and refreezing projects,' he said. 'One of the big drivers of cost overruns in any infrastructure project, public or private, is having to demobilize and remobilize your teams.' Thomasville and Athens officials both said they're appealing their grant terminations, which require them to submit a formal letter outlining the reasons for their appeal and requesting the agency reconsider the decision. They're also reaching out to their elected officials, hoping that pressure from their senators and members of Congress can get them the federal money they were promised. Other cities and nonprofits, as well as a group of Democratic state attorneys general, have sued, arguing that terminating their grants without following proper procedures is illegal. But that's a difficult step for many localities to take. 'Suing the federal government to assert your legal rights is very daunting, even if the law is on your side,' Hoover said. This story was originally published by Grist with the headline Trump cuts hundreds of EPA grants, leaving cities on the hook for climate resiliency on Jun 2, 2025.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Contra Costa County's $19-million EPA grant abruptly canceled by Trump administration
The Brief EPA suspends $19-million-dollar grant to Contra Costa County and community partners in North Richmond One project was already laying the foundation of an environmental health center, when funds were canceled Congressional Representatives Garamendi and DeSaulnier issued letter to EPA director RICHMOND, Calif. - The Trump administration has abruptly canceled more than 100 EPA Community Change grants nationwide, including a $19.1 million grant to Contra Costa County for community projects that were already approved by the EPA in January. What we know The grant awarded to Contra Costa County was slated to fund some eight projects as part of the North Richmond Community Resilience Initiative (NRCRI), to transform the area into a model for climate resilience. Those projects include: adding shade trees and gardening for students at Verde K-8 school, converting abandoned Las Deltas public housing into livable, green affordable homes, energy-efficient home improvements, e-bike lending, Wildcat Creek trail flood prevention, a North Richmond Urban Tilth farm disaster response center, and watershed tree-trimming and flood mitigation. Construction crews have already started laying the foundation of the new center at the Urban Tilth Farm at 323 Brookside Drive. Now, however, with the EPA grant funds frozen, there is concern the building might not be completed. What they're saying "The community resiliency enter essentially is designed to provide four days of care and shelter, HVAC system, solar-powered," Adam Boisvert, the Urban Tilth Education Coordinator said, noting the center would help residents who live next to the Chevron refinery and are often subjected to poor air quality during wildfires, hot weather, and proximity to industrial areas. "They're going to finish the foundation, and we're going to try and figure out what to do next," Boisvert said. Contra Costa County officials say the EPA website showed the grant was suspended in March, but Contra Costa County received no notice and requests to the EPA for clarification have remained unanswered. "We were never officially notified by the EPA that the grant was canceled," Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia said." We only found out it was canceled from Congressman John Garamendi's office." Now Rep. Garamendi and Rep. Mark DeSaulnier have sent a letter to EPA director Lee Zeldin calling for a reinstatement of the grant so the projects can be completed. Contra Costa County's coalition of non-profit partners include Urban Tilth, Community Housing Development Corporation (CHDC), The Watershed Project, Richmond LAND, and Rich City Rides. "There is now a court decision which has basically ruled that these grants and there are 100 of them across the country were illegally canceled," Gioia said. UC Berkeley Environmental Law Professor Dan Farber says canceling the EPA grants is just one of many changes the Trump administration is making, to reverse decades of environmental regulations and policies. "It has an enormous practical effect, because there are all kinds of projects going that are just getting halted where they are," Farber said. On Sunday, EPA director Zeldin announced 280 EPA employees will be laid off as of July 31. The layoffs will be in the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights and regional environmental justice divisions. Zeldin said the layoffs are "necessary to align our workforce with the agency's current and future needs and to ensure the efficient and effective operation of our programs." Farber noted that the EPA director has suggested there could be up to 30-40% cuts in EPA staff, which Farber says would make it difficult for the agency to function. The White House put out an Earth Day statement Tuesday, saying it is reforming the EPA, cutting down on wind farms, opening more federal land to oil, natural gas, and mineral extraction, and making other changes. Farber says changing laws is difficult and slow, requiring passage through Congress, so the administration has been moving to roll back a wide range of regulations by adding expiration clauses or claiming without going through the courts that some regulations are illegal. "They've looked at a large range of regulations, not just those EPA regulations relating to pollution," Farber said. "It's an enormous challenge for the environmental movement, because so many things are being changed, you know, all at the same time." Community groups say they are hoping Congressional representatives can help secure the EPA grant funding, as Contra Costa County considers whether to file a legal challenge. Jana Katsuyama is a reporter for KTVU. Email Jana at Call her at 510-326-5529. Or follow her on Twitter @JanaKTVU and read her other reports on her bio page.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Chance for cash boost for charities and community groups
Charities and community groups in South Wales are being invited to self-nominate for a financial boost. The scheme is part of Pink Storage's new initiative, the Community Change project, which will aid projects that positively impact their local communities. Successful nominees stand a chance of winning up to £1,000. The funds can be used for a range of purposes, including renovating communal spaces, purchasing equipment, or extending services. The nomination process is straightforward and requires submitting the organisation's and contact details, along with a brief summary of how the funds will be used, to community@ After the April 29 deadline, three finalists will be selected and announced on Pink Storage's social media for public voting. The winner will receive £1,000, with the two runners-up awarded £200 each. Scott Evans, managing director at Pink Storage, said: "We believe in supporting and giving back to the local communities we are present in." For more details, visit the Pink Storage website.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Two investments in children would create brighter future for them and the state
Children who have positive experiences in their early years are much more likely to graduate from high school, enjoy better health and have higher earnings as adults. (Photo byfor Community Change) If we want to create a bright future for our state, the most important thing we can do is invest in the well-being of children, especially our youngest children. Early childhood is the foundation of life. Children who have positive experiences in their early years are much more likely to graduate from high school, enjoy better health and have higher earnings as adults. The opposite is often true for children who, sadly, grow up in stressful environments and lack access to proven support. These outcomes, be they positive or negative, have a ripple effect not only on the children but also on our communities. It is vital that we, as a state, do what we can to ensure that children have a good start in life. There are a number of investments that the 2025 Oregon Legislature could make in that regard. Two of these would put more resources into Employment Related Day Care and strengthen the Earned Income Tax Credit, policies that strengthen family finances. Children don't grow in isolation; they are part of families. The more financial resources a family has, the less likely it is that the child will endure the stress that comes with economic hardship and all its negative repercussions. Employment Related Day Care bolsters family finances by making child care affordable for families with the fewest resources. Child care is expensive, often carrying a bigger price tag than the cost of college. Because infants and young children require full-time care, the lack of access to affordable child care often prevents parents from taking a job and gaining a steady source of income. As its name suggests, Employment Related Day Care enables parents to join the workforce, confident in the knowledge that their little ones will get the care they need. For some parents, the program allows them to continue their education and gain new skills, which can lead to a better-paying job in the not-too-distant future. Unfortunately, the child care program lacks the resources to meet the needs of families. Nearly 10,000 families are on the waitlist to enter the program. Another 4,000 families already in the program cannot find a provider, as the low pay, workforce shortages and lack of suitable facilities produces a shortage of child care. Stepped up legislative investment in the program would support child development, provide economic opportunity to families and infuse Oregon's economy with needed workers. Work, unfortunately, often doesn't pay enough. Many parents working full time, or even working two jobs, struggle to pay the rent and other basic necessities. That's where the Earned Income Tax Credit comes in. Modeled after the federal tax credit with the same name, the Oregon credit puts money in the pockets of working families whose jobs don't pay enough to make ends meet. In delivering those extra dollars through the tax code, the tax credit is an efficient way to bolster family finances. It's no wonder the program has long enjoyed bipartisan support. Oregon's tax credit recognizes the importance of the first few years of life in a child's emotional and physical development. Some years back, the Legislature bumped up the size of the tax credit for families with children under the age of three. As good a program as the credit is, there is significant room for improvement. That is especially true when it comes to the size of the credit — the amount of help it delivers to families. Oregon's tax credit is just 9% of the federal tax credit for families with children age 3 or older, and 12% of the federal credit for younger children. That makes it one of the smallest Earned Income Tax Credits among all states that offer the tax credit. This session, the Legislature is considering boosting the state credit. House Bill 2958 would double the size of the credit, making it work better for working families. The investments we make as a state in the well-being of children can ease the financial stress many families presently endure, increasing the odds that these children will grow up healthy and able to thrive. That would be a win for our state, now and into the future. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘It's demoralizing': Trump's climate funding freeze has left tribes in limbo
Naveena SadasivamGrist When the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe landed a $19.9 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency in early January, Robert Byrnes was elated. As a grant writer for the tribe, he and a few other employees had pulled 60-hour weeks during the holidays to ensure the agency had all the paperwork it needed to award the funds. The much-needed money would be put to use on the tribe's reservation in South Dakota, repairing a historic bridge that had been razed a few years ago due to safety concerns, replacing asphalt roofs, and establishing resilience hubs to help tribal members during extreme weather. The grant was, as Byrnes put it, the 'hugest' the tribe ever received for environmental work. Once the agreement was inked on January 10, the tribe got access to the money through the Automated Standard Application for Payments, an online portal that grant recipients use to submit reimbursements and draw down their funds. In the weeks that followed, the tribe made a call for bids, hired contractors, and bought roofing materials, construction supplies, safety equipment, and freeze-dried food to stock the resilience hub. Work proceeded quickly until the Trump administration issued a memo on January 27 directing federal agencies to freeze all funding. Suddenly, the tribe was shut out of its funding. Its $7 million grant to install solar panels through the EPA's Solar for All program also is in limbo. Byrnes remains unsure about the future of a $300,000 grant for resilient infrastructure from the Department of Energy and $600,000 for food distribution from the Department of Agriculture. 'We've got a lot of hours invested,' said Byrnes. 'It's demoralizing especially after a signed contract. And you would think at that point, you got a contract with the federal government that should be pretty secure.' He said the tribe hasn't been reimbursed for roughly half a million the last two weeks, community groups, environmental organizations, and tribes that had been awarded billions in funding for climate and equity work have been scrambling to assess what the federal funding freeze means for them. One nonprofit with a $2.2 million Community Change grant from the EPA has accrued half a million dollars in unreimbursed expenses and has decided to stop hiring people. Others have pulled out of partnerships funded by the federal government, paused work with contractors, and are considering laying off or furloughing employees. 'It's insane,' said the leader of one nonprofit. 'The last three weeks have been lost work.' (Several grant recipients requested anonymity because they did not want to jeopardize federal funding, but a review of publicly available government spending data confirmed that they received grants.) These groups have been unable to access their money despite at least two court orders requiring that the federal government release it. On January 31, a Rhode Island court issued a temporary restraining order against the Trump administration. Then, on Monday, the same court ruled that the government continued withholding funds in defiance of that order. It ordered the government to 'immediately restore frozen funding' and 'immediately end any federal funding pause.' (On Tuesday, a federal appeals court rejected the Justice Department's request to lift the restraining order.) But as of Tuesday, many of the nonprofits and others awaiting disbursements still don't have access to them. Meanwhile, they continue incurring costs. Because grant payments are made through reimbursements, recipients are expected to front the money for any expenses, then submit receipts electronically for reimbursement. In some cases, this happens instantaneously. Since many of the grants cover payroll, labor costs, and supplies, those relying on them tend to submit this paperwork on a rolling basis. Some groups are seeking bridge loans and ways to cover the shortfall. 'There are all kinds of ways that folks are trying to mitigate harm, but they're not going to be able to avoid harm,' said Hana Vizcarra, a senior attorney with the environmental law firm Earthjustice. 'There's harm to the communities they're working in because if they're unable to move forward with projects or have stalled those projects, that has an impact on the communities.' On President Trump's first day in office, he signed an executive order requiring federal agencies to pause all funding appropriated through the Inflation Reduction Act and the bipartisan infrastructure law, both of which Congress passed to infuse the economy with billions of dollars for climate and environmental projects. The government appeared to release at least some funding following last month's court order. On February 4, the EPA sent an internal memo notifying employees that it is unfreezing funds, including those from the Inflation Reduction Act and the bipartisan infrastructure law, to comply with that order. The letter noted that the agency's Office of Budget would provide a 'detailed list' of programs that will continue receiving funds. But a follow-up list reviewed by Grist included just one Inflation Reduction Act program for 'consumer education.' Then on Thursday, Chad McIntosh, the agency's acting deputy administrator, instructed his staff to review all grant programs. Grist reviewed that directive which said that was needed to root out fraud and abuse. 'Congress has been clear on the need for oversight of funds provided to the agency for the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act and other funding programs that may be improperly utilized,' the memo noted. The following day, the agency's budget office sent an internal email announcing a funding pause for more than two dozen air pollution, environmental justice, and clean vehicle programs. 'This list includes a number of climate and equity grants,' said Michelle Roos, executive director of the Environmental Protection Network, an environmental nonprofit that helps local groups navigate EPA's grantmaking process. 'And grantees are being told that EPA is releasing funding in tranches.' In a statement, an EPA spokesperson told Grist the agency had begun disbursing funds tied to the Inflation Reduction Act and bipartisan infrastructure law. It has over the last week worked to ensure access was restored 'by Friday afternoon,' according to an email. However, it also has identified several programs 'as having potential inconsistencies with necessary financial and oversight procedural requirements or grant conditions of awards or programs.' The spokesperson also said the agency received 'numerous concerning responses' to EPA administrator Lee Zeldin's call for tips about theft of funds and misuse of grant money. Some groups saw their funding restored on Friday only to lose it again. The Gonzaga Institute for Climate, Water, and the Environment, along with its partners, secured nearly $20 million from the EPA in early January in part to build climate resilience hubs in Spokane, Washington. When the institute lost access to that money last week, it grappled with what that might mean for its work. The group had already hired a program coordinator and debated whether it could continue to employ them. Brian G. Henning, the organization's director, felt relief when the freeze was lifted Friday. The hammer fell again on Tuesday, but Henning said the institute remains committed to its work. 'We're a Jesuit Catholic humanist university committed to social and environmental justice and see part of the reason for our existence as wanting to serve those who are most vulnerable to the impacts of a rapidly changing climate,' said Henning. 'We have a legal obligation under this contract, but we also have a moral responsibility to see this work through.'
