Move FM Global News

WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Trump administration through U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is canceling nearly 800 grants, including all that support environmental justice, according to the Washington Post.

This number is double what had been previously reported, and it is the first time the agency has publicly confirmed the total.

The information came from a court document filed last week in a federal case in Rhode Island. The case was brought by nonprofit groups challenging the Trump administration’s freeze on billions of dollars in grants approved under climate and infrastructure laws passed during former President Joe Biden’s time in office.

EPA official Daniel Coogan wrote in the court filing that the agency is now sending out cancellation notices to all affected grant recipients. So far, about 377 groups have received the notices, and the rest, around 404, will get them within two weeks.

The Post reported that the canceled grants would have funded projects to help communities deal with climate change. These included sealing homes in Washington state from wildfire smoke and protecting coastal villages in Alaska from flooding.

The EPA has not responded to media questions about the cancellations.

Since January 20, the Trump administration has been cutting billions in diversity, climate, and infrastructure funding, laying off staff, and shutting down EPA programs focused on environmental justice.

Experts and former EPA staff warn that ending these programs will hurt Black and Hispanic communities the most. These communities often live near pollution and depend on such programs to improve their health and environment.