Congress approved billions for federal grants and programs through the EPA during the Biden administration. Those dollars were meant to help disadvantaged communities and fund community resilience projects, public health programs, and initiatives to reduce energy insecurity on tribal lands. But just as these projects were getting underway, the Trump administration froze many of the grants, put others under indefinite review, or canceled them outright.

Now, some of the groups that were awarded federal funds have banded together and are suing the federal government for the money they’re owed. Others are seeking alternative funding streams. In this episode, we speak with people whose projects are on hold, but who continue to serve their communities.

Episode Guests:

Ben Grillot, Senior Attorney, Southern Environmental Law Center

Wahleah Johns, Former Director, U.S. DOE Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs

Ilyssa Manspeizer, CEO, Landforce

Bryan Cordell, Executive Director, Sustainability Institute

For show notes, related links, and episode transcript, visit ⁠⁠climateone.org/podcasts.⁠⁠

Skill Up for Earth: ⁠https://skillup.earth⁠

Highlights:

00:00 Intro

03:01 Ilyssa Manspeizer on what her organization, Landforce

06:29 Ilyssa Manspeizer on the impact of federal grant funds

08:58 Ilyssa Manspeizer on losing the grant funding

11:38 Ilyssa Manspeizer on Landforce joining the lawsuit against the EPA

14:08 Ben Grillot on the original EPA grantees

19:08 Ben Grillot on the politicization of the grants

24:54 Ben Grillot on the loss of trust with the federal government

26:42 Bryan Cordell on the work of the Sustainability Institute

30:38 Bryan Cordell on the status of their work after federal grants were pulled

33:51 Wahleah Johns on growing up on a Navajo reservation

45:59 Wahleah Johns on the community response to IRA rollbacks

48:20 Wahleah Johns on working toward the future

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EPA Cancels Billions in Grants. Recipients Won’t Back Down