When the Vandro Santi Six tribe received a $ 19.9 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency in early January, Robert Burns was vibrant. As a tribe grant writer, he and a few other employees withdrew 60 hours during the holidays to ensure that the agency gets all the paper work it needs to give money. The money that affects the need for the tribe will be used in South Dakota, and a historic bridge that was demolished a few years ago due to safety concerns, replacement of asphalt surfaces, and the creation of flexibility centers to help tribal organs during the harsh weather. The grant was, as Burns said, the “most hug” that the tribe received on environmental work.
Once The agreement is born On January 10, the tribe managed to reach the funds through the automated implications of payments, which is an online gate that receivers use to provide compensation and their money’s decline. In the weeks that followed, the tribe made an invitation to provide bids, contracting with contractors, and bought roofing materials, construction supplies, safety equipment, and dried foods with freezing to store the flexibility center.
Work continued quickly until the Trump administration It issued a memorandum on January 27 to direct federal agencies to freeze all financing. Suddenly, the tribe was closed from its financing. A $ 7 million grant to install solar panels through the EPA’s Solar program for all programs as well. Burns are still not sure of the future of a $ 300,000 grant for flexible infrastructure from the Ministry of Energy and $ 600,000 to distribute food from the Ministry of Agriculture.
“We have invested a lot of hours,” Burns said. It is frustrating, especially after a signed contract. You are thinking about that stage, you got a contract with the federal government that should be very safe. He said that the tribe had not been compensated for about half a million dollars.
Over the past two weeks, community groups, environmental organizations and tribes that have won billions in financing climate and stock business were stood to assess the meaning of freezing federal financing for them. One non -profit with $ 2.2 million Community change grant Through the Environmental Protection Agency, it occupied half a million dollars of non -refundable expenses and decided to stop employing people. Others withdrew from the partnerships funded by the federal government, stopped working with contractors, and thinking about the status of employees or subjugation.
“He is crazy,” said the leader of a non -profit organization. “The past three weeks have lost work.” (Many of the scholarship recipients asked not to be identified because they do not want to endanger Federal financing, but a review Government spending data available to the public He confirmed that they received grants.)
These groups have not been able to reach their money despite the court at least, at least the federal government required them. On January 31, the Rod Island A court issued A temporary restriction order against the Trump administration. Then, on Monday, the same court ruled that The government continued to block money In challenging this arrangement. The government ordered “to restore frozen financing immediately” and “immediately end any federal financing.” (Tuesday, federal The Court of Appeal rejected the request of the Ministry of Justice To raise the arrangement of restriction.)
But as of Tuesday, many non -profit organizations and others are still waiting for payments that cannot be reached. Meanwhile, they continue to incur costs. Since the grant payments are made through payment, it is expected that the receivers will take the money for any expenses, then submit the receipts electronically to pay. In some cases, this happens immediately. Since many grants cover the salary statements, employment costs and supplies, those who depend on them tend to provide these papers on the basis of rolling. Some groups seek to obtain bridges loans and ways to cover the deficiency.
“There are all kinds of ways that people are trying to reduce, but they will not be able to avoid harm,” said Hannah Vezkara, a prominent lawyer at Earthjustus, said. “There is harm to the societies in which they work because if they cannot move forward in projects or stop these projects, then this has an impact on societies.”
On the first day of President Trump, he is The executive order signed Claiming federal agencies to stop stopping all funding through the law to reduce inflation and the infrastructure law from the two parties, both of which were passed to the Congress to provoke the economy billions of dollars in climate and environmental projects. It seems that the government issued at least some funding after the court’s order last month.
On February 4, the Environmental Protection Agency sent an internal note to inform the employees that it is not renewed, including the first of the law to reduce inflation and the two -party infrastructure law, to comply with this. The message noted that the agency’s budget office will provide a “detailed list” of programs that will continue to receive money. However, the follow -up list reviewed by GRIT included only one program of the law to reduce inflation for “consumer education”.
Then, on Thursday, Chad McKintuch, Acting Deputy Agency, ordered his employees to review all grants programs. Grrist reviewed this directive, which he said is necessary to clarify fraud and abuse.
“Congress was clear about the need to oversee the funds submitted to the agency to implement the law to reduce inflation and other financing programs that may be incorrectly used,” the memo.
The next day, the agency’s budget office sent an internal email that announces a cessation of financing for more than twenty air pollution, environmental justice, and clean vehicle programs.
“This list includes a number of climate and stock grants,” said Michel Rose, Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Network, an environmental profitable institution that helps local groups to navigate the EPA grant. “The donors are informed that the Environmental Protection Agency will be funded in slices.”
In a statement, a spokesman for the Environmental Protection Agency told the Agency that the agency had begun to exchange funds associated with the law to reduce inflation and the two -party infrastructure law. During the past week, I worked to ensure the restoration of “Friday afternoon”, according to an email. However, it has also identified many programs “as a potential diversity with financial procedural requirements and necessary supervision or the conditions for awarding prizes or programs.” The spokesperson also said that the agency had received “many responses” to the director of the Environmental Protection Agency for Zeldin, an invitation to obtain tips on stealing money and abuse of grant funds.
Some groups saw their funding, their funding was restored on Friday only to inspect it again. The Gonzaga Institute of Climate, Water and the Environment, along with its partners, obtained nearly $ 20 million from the Environmental Protection Agency in early January to build the Climate Climate Centers in Spokan and Washington. When the institute lost access to this money last week, what this might mean is for its work. The group had already rented the program coordinator and discussed whether it could continue to use them. Brian Hinings, the organization’s director, felt comfortable when the freezing was raised on Friday. The hammer fell again on Tuesday, but Hinings said that the institute was still committed to its work.
“We, the Jesolic Catholic Humanity University, is committed to social and environmental justice, and we see part of the reason we exist as the desire to serve those most vulnerable to the effects of the changing rapid climate.” “We have a legal commitment under this contract, but we also have a moral responsibility to see this work through it.”
