Trump administration freezes critical environmental funding

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration announced late last night that it is freezing federal funding for critically important programs, which could include desperately needed funds to help communities recover from the devastation of Hurricane Helene, to monitor air and water pollution, and to lower high energy bills through clean energy projects. The memo uses broad terms, failing to specify which programs will be affected, creating confusion for agencies and the public alike.

The sweeping cuts could have immediate and tangible implications for the South in particular, especially for communities in Western North Carolina who are still rebuilding from the unprecedented destruction from Helene.

Effective as of Tuesday, actions mandated by the memo could jeopardize federal funding, grants, and loans for the Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program for projects created by Black, rural, and other underserved and overburdened communities to address air quality and health impacts, water quality sampling and monitoring, and emergency preparedness. Many of these programs are Congressionally approved and cannot lawfully be withheld by agencies.

The freeze could also extend to EPA’s Solar for All program, which has provided millions of dollars in grants to accelerate and expand access to solar projects, which create thousands of clean energy jobs while lowering energy bills.  

“Cutting off Southern communities from critically important funding sources that are providing much needed support and resources is alarming and will have far reaching impacts,” said Geoff Gisler, Program Director for the Southern Environmental Law Center. “If these funds are withheld, even for a short period of time, communities and businesses in our region will be unnecessarily and irreparably harmed.”