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Communities say EPA grant cancellations disrupted projects from Alaska to Georgia
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Summary
Senators from multiple states told the EPA administrator that several congressionally authorized grants and environmental justice awards were canceled or paused without clear explanations, leaving local projects and emergency-preparedness work in limbo.
Senators and local officials said canceled and paused grants have caused immediate harm to projects intended to protect public health and support community infrastructure.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski said the administration’s freezing and cancellation of grants has “caused some significant anxiety” in Alaska, where she said the community change grants have provided about $150,000,000 and that awards for places such as Kipnuk and Kotzebue were canceled without explanation.
Nut graf: Multiple senators described canceled grants that had been awarded or obligated, including community centers, health clinics and emergency-shelter upgrades. Lawmakers asked the administrator for lists differentiating grants paused for review from those that were terminated and sought reasons for each cancellation.
Sen. Jon Ossoff raised a Thomasville, Georgia, award under the Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grant program that local leaders described as “transformative” and said the community is “devastated” after the grant was canceled. Senator Patty Murray and others cited examples from Spokane, Washington, and Chiloquin, Oregon, where canceled awards would have supported wildfire and heat response infrastructure and a municipal center.
Administrator Zeldin said the agency inherited many congressionally directed projects and that some pauses are tied to paperwork, program priorities or concerns about recipient agreements; he urged members to provide specific grant identifiers so EPA can respond. “If anybody wants to ask about a specific grant, I would encourage them to reach out to us right now,” Zeldin said.
Ending: Senators pressed for a roster of paused versus terminated grants and urged expedited handling because construction and emergency seasons make delays especially harmful for small and remote communities.
