Latest news with #CommunityChangeGrant
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
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. Kent County advocate 'disappointed' by PFAS standard rollback 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. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gonzaga, Spokane leaders say cancellation of federal climate resiliency grant could handicap efforts to save lives
May 16—Spokane's most vulnerable residents will no longer have assistance in preparing for the devastating effects of climate change, if the Trump administration follows through on its intent to rescind nearly $20 million in federal funding. Citing a change in "administration priorities," the Environmental Protection Agency notified Gonzaga University May 2 of the impending cancellation of a $19.9 million grant devoted to climate resiliency in Spokane's disadvantaged, low-income communities, according to a joint news release from the city of Spokane and the private Jesuit school decrying the move. The Gonzaga Institute for Climate, Water, and the Environment was awarded the Community Change Grant last July as one of 21 climate change-related projects funded by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. It was the university's single largest grant award in Gonzaga's nearly 140-year history, and school and city officials say it would have contributed greatly to the region's adjustment to the ongoing climate crisis. Hundreds of low-income homes were to be retrofitted with heat pumps and high-quality air filtration systems, five community centers and libraries were going to be bolstered to serve as extreme weather shelters, and several prospective workers were to be trained for jobs in clean energy — all as a result of the funding. "It always feels hyperbolic to say people's lives are at stake," said institute director Brian G. Henning. "But it's literally true right now." Fearing significant consequences to Spokane residents if the EPA follows through, leaders for the city and Gonzaga University are now calling on the agency to change course. They argue the Trump Administration's move lacks legal standing and jeopardizes the public health and safety of the region. "We are concerned not only about the process by which this decision was made, but even more so about its very real consequences for the people we serve," Gonzaga President Thayne McCulloh said in a statement. "Our mission is to educate and serve. This grant enables our community to learn how to deal with dangerous climate conditions and help the thousands of community members who lack the ability to protect themselves from the extreme heat and wildfire smoke that is all too common in the Inland Northwest today." The plea from the private-public coalition includes a call for federal legislators "to intervene for their constituents by urging immediate reinstatement of the grant," in addition to stressing its importance and requesting a formal explanation on the legal grounds of the decision — a request Congressman Michael Baumgartner indicated he would not be considering. "I've not been briefed on the project and don't know much about it, but with $36 trillion in federal debt and a federal 20% budget deficit, some tough decisions need to be made about sending some spending decisions back to the local government level," Baumgartner said. "It could be that it's a very good program, but just not one that a broke federal government can afford." While Baumgartner appeared to agree with the grant's termination, Senator Patty Murray came to its defense in a heated budget discussion with Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zelding at a Senate Appropriations Interior Subcommittee hearing Wednesday. In an exchange specifically about the cancellation of the grant to the Gonzaga Climate Institute, Murray pried for details and told Zelding he was "abandoning communities." "There was no explanation for that cancelation," Murray said. "That is a community that saw 19 people die and over 300 people hospitalized during a heat wave a few short years ago, where wildfires are a constant threat. So let me ask you, is it woke to protect people from wildfires and heat stroke?" "I don't know if you're going to get anyone in America to answer yes to the way you put that question out there," Zeldin responded. Zeldin did not offer a specific reason for the cancellation, as Murray continued to probe, only stating that "there are hundreds of grants," and he would need the Spokane award in front of him to discuss details. Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown said in a statement Friday the work the funding was devoted to was already underway when the EPA sent their notice. She argued the goals and scope of the program, while receiving bipartisan support, are "not about politics," but about people and "protecting neighbors and investing in a healthier, safer future for Spokane." "The decision to terminate this grant puts lives at risk and undermines locally led solutions to climate and public health challenges," Brown said. "Make no mistake, recent history shows just how critical this funding is to ensure the health, safety, and economic stability of so many Spokane families." More than 150 people statewide, including 20 Spokane County residents, died from heat-related causes during the record-breaking multi-day heatwave that blanketed the Pacific Northwest in July 2021. The majority of local heatwave deaths were elderly people who died in their homes, according to Spokane County Medical Examiner Dr. Veena Singh. It was the deadliest weather event in state history, and drives home exactly why the work covered by the grant was needed, Henning said. In the past 30 years, heat has killed more people nationally on average than tornadoes, floods or hurricanes, according to the National Weather Service. "It's only a matter of time before it happens again," Henning said. "So we've been racing against the clock to try and do whatever we can to improve the resilience to the next such event, and these resources, we're going to make a big difference in helping to do that." Nearly 95% of the grant funding was devoted to tangible services and infrastructure improvements, like the establishment of extreme weather shelters and upgrades to qualifying houses, the release states. The Gonzaga Institute for Climate, Water, and the Environment was the lead recipient and pass-thru administrator for the funds, but the work was to be spread among several nonprofits and civic bodies, including Spokane Neighborhood Action Partners, the city of Spokane, Spokane Public Library and the Carl Maxey Center. "It's really a huge investment that will save lives and make a difference for those people who are most vulnerable," Henning said. "As you can imagine, spending millions of dollars on infrastructure improvements has a lot of impact on jobs and the economy in an immediate way." Around $2.6 million was going to be set aside into the "Community Climate Action Fund," which is intended to be a resource for community organizations seeking funding to do climate-resilience work. The Gonzaga Climate Institute is encouraging groups to still apply by its May 31 deadline regardless of the uncertainty surrounding the fund's future, citing a need for ideas and action to address the climate crisis. The school is "actively recruiting additional funders who might be willing to invest in work proposed through the Climate Fund," according to a statement on the application portal. "I understand why people would consider whether or not they want to apply for these funds, but I am strongly of the view that having good ideas that are well formulated, that are shovel ready, is with everybody's time," Henning said. "Because we need these good ideas, and then we can find ways of funding it. We urgently need to do that, so we'll find other means, over time, if necessary."
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
EPA terminates $20 million Walker River Paiute Tribe water infrastructure grant
The Walker River Paiute Tribe's $20 million Community Change Grant is one of more than 780 environmental justice grants terminated by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. (Photo: Jeniffer Solis) The Environmental Protection Agency has terminated a $20 million grant that would have funded the construction of critical water and energy infrastructure on the Walker River Paiute Tribe reservation in Northern Nevada. Nevada's Clean Energy Fund was notified May 1 the EPA terminated a $20 million Community Change Grant awarded to the nonprofit to advance major infrastructure projects that would help the Walker River Paiute Tribe adapt to the impacts of climate change. The grant is one of more than 780 environmental justice grants terminated by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, according to court documents filed as part of an ongoing lawsuit against the Trump administration. In the termination notice, the EPA said the objectives of Nevada's Community Change Grant 'are no longer consistent with EPA funding priorities.' The funds have been frozen since March 7 when the Nevada Clean Energy Fund, which administers the funds, lost access to the EPA's online grant management portal. Part of the grant funding was earmarked for the construction of the Tribe's Water Looping Project, which would have supplied drinking water to more than 100 homes and businesses that currently rely on declining well water. Between aging pipes, pollutants and regional drought, the Tribe's existing water infrastructure has been stretched to its limits — compromising both public health and economic development. If completed, the water infrastructure project would have also allowed the Tribe to build more homes and businesses on the reservation, creating economic development and job opportunities for the rural community. The Water Looping Project has secured additional grants from the U.S. Economic Development Administration and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. But without the EPA grant, construction for the project can't start, putting the project's other funding sources at risk. 'They're at a critical juncture where they need to keep moving that forward if they want to meet their construction and operational deadlines that are related to other funds that they've secured for that project,' said Kirsten Stasio, the CEO of the Nevada Clean Energy Fund. Over the past four years, the Walker River Paiute Tribe has already invested nearly $2 million in planning, engineering, and permitting for the water infrastructure project. Before Trump took office, the Tribe had an ambitious plan to complete the project by May 2027. The EPA grant would have also funded the construction of a planned Nutritional Wellness Building on the Walker River Paiute Tribe reservation, which would have served as a community resilience hub during power outages and natural disasters. The Walker River Paiute Tribe also planned to use the remaining EPA grant funds to help Tribal members transition away from propane and wood heating by providing home energy retrofits for 150 homes on the reservation. Nevada's $20 million Community Change Grant was awarded under the Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Cooperative Agreement Program, a $2.8 billion financial assistance program created by the Inflation Reduction Act. The grant was one of hundreds terminated by the agency as part of a widespread effort by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to cut back on spending and dramatically reshape the federal government. According to court documents, the EPA plans to terminate a total of 781 grants issued under President Joe Biden, including all grants awarded under the Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Cooperative Agreement Program. Most of the programs and grants listed for termination are focused on environmental justice and include projects to help some of the most underinvested communities adapt to the effects of climate change. Stasio, the CEO of the Nevada Clean Energy Fund, said she fears Nevada's $20 million Community Change Grant has been caught up in a sweep of anti-DEI — diversity, equity and inclusion — efforts at the federal level, despite the grant's focus on funding critical water and energy infrastructure. The termination notice sent to the Nevada Clean Energy Fund suggests the grant was canceled after EPA Administrator Zeldin determined the grant conflicted with the agency's 'policy of prioritizing merit, fairness, and excellence' under constitutional and statutory law. The termination of hundreds of EPA grants also comes after the agency announced plans to fire nearly 300 employees working on diversity, equity, and inclusion and environmental justice issues last month. Stasio said the Nevada Clean Energy Fund is now focused on convincing the federal government Nevada's EPA Community Change Grant does align with the current federal administration's priorities of energy independence, job growth, and critical infrastructure development for rural communities. 'We are working with EPA and urging them to reinstate this grant. The grant would support important economic development and energy resilience projects in rural communities in Northern Nevada,' said Stasio. Democratic lawmakers have condemned the administration's grant cancellations while lawsuits are ongoing over whether the EPA violated its legal obligations when clawing back funds through freezes and shutouts. A day after the EPA sent out hundreds of termination letters to grant recipients, Democratic Sen. Edward Markey of Massachusetts — a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee — condemned the EPA's plan to cancel nearly 800 congressionally obligated environmental justice grants, adding that Community Change Grants provide 'long-overdue resources' to 'underinvested frontline and fenceline communities.' 'The administration's funding freezes have wreaked havoc on communities that are counting on federal investments to weather storms more safely, breathe cleaner air, drink cleaner water, live closer to green space, and save on utility bills,' Markey said.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Springfield protests loss of $20M federal grant to protect environment
SPRINGFIELD — Calling the elimination of a $20 million federal grant 'heartless,' the City Council is vowing to fight for the restoration of funding designed to plant more trees, reduce the need for fossil fuels and cut down on pollution. The council voted unanimously Monday to support a resolution to protest the loss of the Environmental Protection Agency Community Change Grant. All 13 members asked to sign on as sponsors of the decree. 'If we don't start standing up and fighting, we are going to be doomed,' said Brian Santaniello, who filed the resolution. U.S. Sen. Edward Markey affirmed the grant was properly awarded, and Tina Quagliato Sullivan, the city's deputy development officer for housing, community services and sustainability, said the loss of the money would be 'profoundly detrimental' to residents and the city's revitalization, Santaniello said. City officials announced in August that Springfield had been awarded the $20 million grant from a competitive application that joined together eight local agencies and a half-dozen city departments. Springfield was the only community in the region to receive an award of this size. But the release of funds had been in question since President Donald Trump took office. Last week, officials learned the grant had been terminated. 'You have to pretty heartless to go after money that will help out children and people with asthma,' City Councilor Victor Davila said. He wasn't the only one to cite the asthma rates that the grant was designed to help reduce. In 2019, Springfield was determined to have the highest rate in the country. It has reduced some now but remains in the top 20 nationwide, according to different studies. Councilor Jose Delgado called the resolution 'an easy yes' for him, since he suffered from childhood asthma, as does his daughter. He thanked Markey and Santaniello for their advocacy. 'When I learned of the federal Trump administration cutting this, I was pretty pissed off,' he said. Markey, a member of the Senate's environment and public works committee, was an author of the grant and is continuing to fight for the restoration of the funding. Stories about how the loss affects people will help in the battle, said Jesse Lederman, Markey's regional director and a former Springfield City Council president. Currently, Markey is working with other members of Congress and connecting communities affected by the cuts with legal resources to help them fight for grant restoration, he said. 'The Trump administration is attempting to steal $20 million from the people of Springfield to fund tax breaks for billionaires,' said Lederman, reading a statement from Markey. Eliminating the grant is wrong, as Springfield has worked hard to clean up pollution to reduce asthma rates, and the government should be helping, the statement said. 'This grant includes initiatives to reduce reliance on dirty fossil fuels, expand the city's urban tree canopy to reduce heat and clean the air, remove hazardous pollutants and restore dilapidated housing stock, provide career training for good paying HVACR technician jobs and more,' Lederman said. U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, also is working to try to reinstate the grant, saying under the Constitution that Congress has control of funding, and the grant came through the Inflation Reduction Act drafted by the House Ways and Means and passed by the House and Senate. 'As members of Congress, we know the needs of our communities and how federal dollars can best be of assistance. Any attempt by the Trump administration to withhold federal funding that has been authorized and allocated by Congress is unconstitutional and an executive overreach — period,' he said. The money, which was to be spent over three years, had a dozen goals, including planting 1,500 trees; installing geothermal heating and cooling systems at the Mason Square branch library and the Kenefick Park Field House; supporting bike share programs; creating a workforce training program for green energy jobs; and developing a complete streets project for the West Street corridor. City Councilor Zaida Govan talked about the 14-year fight to keep Palmer Renewable Energy from building a 35-megawatt wood-burning plant at 1000 Page Boulevard, because of the pollutants it would bring. 'It is very important for us to do this and stand up,' she said. 'It has already passed through Congress. … It is not right. It is not legal, and it should not have happened.' Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump funding freeze threatens Walker Paiute water security
Jeniffer SolisNevada Current Reliable drinking water, new homes, and energy upgrades are now further out of reach for members of the Walker River Paiute Tribe after the Trump administration froze $20 million in federal funding awarded to the Tribe. The Walker River Paiute Tribe was notified March 7 that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suspended — and may soon terminate — a contractually obligated $20 million Community Change Grant awarded in October. Tribal leaders say the move will likely kill a critical water infrastructure project a decade in the making that would bring drinking water to more than 100 reservation homes and businesses currently rely on a dwindling well water supply. Without the funding, the construction of a planned energy project that would provide energy upgrades for 150 homes on the reservation and community resilience hub would also be eliminated. Joseph Frank, project manager for Walker River Paiute Tribe, said the grant freeze was just the latest in a series of funding setbacks brought on by the Trump administration. 'With a lot of these cuts that have come down, we are definitely feeling strained,' Frank told the U.S. Economic Development Administration's Indigenous Economic Development Community of Practice last week. Funds from the EPA grant were frozen for a week in January when the Nevada Clean Energy Fund — a nonprofit bank that administers the funds — lost access to the EPA's online grant management portal, before they were unfrozen, then frozen again this month. 'The uncertainty to the grant is the ever changing status, it becomes active, then suspended and this makes it impossible to continue with our projects,' said Walker River Paiute Tribe Chair Melanie McFalls in a press release Monday. Termination of the EPA grant would 'definitely be a nail in the coffin, or, you know, one of many,' said Frank. Between aging pipes, pollutants and regional drought, the Tribe's existing water infrastructure has been stretched to its limits — compromising both public health and economic development, said McFalls. Before Trump took office, the Tribe had an ambitious plan to complete the project by May 2027, according to McFalls. The 'Water Looping Project' secured about $8 million in funding from several other federal agencies — including the Economic Development Administration, Bureau of Reclamation, and Indian Health Services — and about $2.5 million in state matching funds. But without the EPA grant, the Tribe will not be able to fully complete the project. Kirsten Stasio, CEO of the Nevada Clean Energy Fund, said the Walker River Paiute Tribe has only used about $70,000 of the $20 million EPA grant, but has 'already made significant investments in the engineering and design' of the project. Stasio said the EPA has offered no explanation for why the funds were frozen on March 7, and whether they will be reinstated: 'We're not getting a lot of information from the EPA or communication.' Funding for water infrastructure would allow the Walker River Paiute Tribe to build more homes and businesses on the reservation. Frank, the project manager for the tribe, said there is a strong demand for homes on the reservation, but without the right infrastructure they can't be built. 'That project is definitely a cornerstone for the community, because if we don't get that done, we're not going to be able to build more homes,' Frank said. 'We definitely do not have enough housing, and we cannot add more houses into the structures that we have currently, because the system is already being taxed as it is.' Lack of adequate water infrastructure on the reservation also means much of the reservation lacks the water pressure needed for fire hydrants, putting homes on the reservation at severe risk of fire damage. A study by the Department of the Interior found that existing water storage capacity on the reservation falls short of meeting current codes for fire suppression. Additionally, insurance companies will not insure buildings without proper water infrastructure which hinders housing and commercial development. 'A lot of insurance companies will not come to the reservation because the fire department does not have the capability' to sustain the water pressure needed to fight fires, Frank said. 'They require you to be able to run so much water, gallonage per minute, per hour,' Frank said. 'We don't have the capacity in our infrastructure to run that at this time.' Funding from the EPA Community Change Grant would also allow the Tribe to fund a community solar project that would provide energy upgrades for 150 homes on the Walker River reservation. 'Because we live in a more rural area, electricity out here fluctuates. Some days we may have electricity. Other times it's the power bumps that really raise Cain with the system,' Frank said. Funding from the frozen EPA grant was also earmarked to fund the construction of a new nutritional wellness building on the Walker River reservation, that would serve as a community resilience hub during heat waves and other natural disasters. Tribal leaders said the cascade of federal funding cuts from the Trump administration this month has already impacted the Tribe's current food pantry, which serves tribal and nontribal customers alike. Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture axed the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program that provided three tribes in Nevada with more than $1 million in fresh produce and meats from local farmers and ranchers. Stasio, the CEO of the Nevada Clean Energy Fund, said she fears the EPA grant for the Walker River Paiute Tribe has been caught up in a sweep of anti-DEI — diversity, equity and inclusion — efforts at the federal level, despite the grant's focus on vital infrastructure. Funding for the EPA Community Change Grant was provided through the Environmental and Climate Justice Program, a $2.8 billion financial assistance program created by the Inflation Reduction Act. EPA Administrator Zeldin cancelled grants and contracts related to DEI and environmental justice in his first round of spending cuts. 'This is just investing in critical infrastructure in our community, in our Tribal communities. It's attracting much needed investment, jobs, and economic development in that region,' Stasio said. The federal government is required by law to uphold its trust responsibility to tribes — a legal obligation under which the United States must protect tribal sovereignty and provide basic social services for tribal nations. 'Tribes are sovereign nations. It's not about DEI or environmental justice,' Stasio continued. More than 400 EPA grants were terminated by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin this month, with the assistance of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Tesla CEO Elon Musk. 'As with any change in Administration, the agency is reviewing its grant funding to ensure it is appropriate use of taxpayer dollars and to understand how those programs align with Administration priorities,' an EPA spokesperson said in response to questions about why the contractually obligated funding was cut.
