FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 12, 2025
CONTACT:
Aaron Bharucha, Public Relations Associate
(509) 429-1699 and epn-press@environmentalprotectionnetwork.org
Environmental Protection Network Denounces EPA’s Termination of Clean Energy Grants
The Environmental Protection Network (EPN) expresses profound concern and disappointment regarding the recent decision by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to terminate $20 billion in grants under the Inflation Reduction Act. This action represents a significant setback in the nation’s efforts to combat climate change and promote environmental justice.
On March 11, 2025, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the cancellation of funding for the Clean Communities Investment Accelerator (CCIA) and the National Clean Investment Fund (NCIF), two key initiatives within the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. These programs were designed to provide financing for clean energy projects, particularly in underserved communities, to reduce emissions and support sustainable development. The decision to terminate these grants was justified by concerns over program integrity and potential fraud, though no substantive evidence has been provided.
The abrupt cancellation of these grants has raised alarms among climate advocates and policymakers, who view this move as a deviation from the EPA’s core mission to protect human health and the environment. The rescinded funds were essential to fostering investment in renewable energy and emissions reduction, particularly for disadvantaged communities disproportionately affected by environmental hazards. In U.S. District Court on Wednesday for a grants termination hearing, Judge Tanya Chutkan characterized the termination letter sent to grantees as “ready, fire, aim.”
“Trump’s EPA is taking us back to a time of unfettered pollution across the nation, leaving every American exposed to toxic chemicals, dirty air, and contaminated water. The grants that the EPA moved to cancel are some of the most vital initiatives to help make communities safer, healthier and more prosperous. These grants support efforts such as helping rural Virginia coal communities prepare for extreme flooding, installing sewage systems in rural Alabama homes and transforming an abandoned, polluted site in Tampa, Florida, into a campus for healthcare, job training and small business development,” said Matthew S. Tejada, EPN volunteer and former Deputy Assistant Administrator for Environmental Justice in EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights. “Those who have already paid the highest price for pollution, through their health and their children’s future, are the first to be sacrificed by Trump’s EPA. But, they will not be the last. Every American should be concerned about what this means for our future.”
EPN underscores the importance of maintaining robust funding for climate initiatives, especially those targeting vulnerable communities. The termination of these grants hampers progress toward national climate goals and undermines trust and collaboration between the EPA and organizations working toward environmental equity.
EPN calls upon the EPA to reconsider this decision and to engage transparently with stakeholders to ensure that critical climate and environmental justice programs receive the support they require. EPN remains committed to advocating for policies and actions that uphold the integrity of environmental protection and the advancement of public health.
Matthew S. Tejada is the former Deputy Assistant Administrator for Environmental Justice in EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights and is available to speak with the media.
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ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION NETWORK
Founded in 2017, the Environmental Protection Network harnesses the expertise of more than 600 former EPA career staff and confirmation-level appointees from Democratic and Republican administrations to provide the unique perspective of former scientists and regulators with decades of historical and subject matter knowledge.