EPA Cancels Billions in Grants. Recipients Won’t Back Down
From Climate One by Climate One from The Commonwealth Club
February 20, 2026 · 55 min
About this episode
This episode discusses the impact of canceled EPA grants on community projects and the legal actions being taken by affected groups.
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…
People in this episode
Guests: Ben Grillot, Wahleah Johns, Ilyssa Manspeizer, Bryan Cordell
Topics covered
- federal grants
- community resilience
- environmental policy
- legal action
- energy insecurity
- public health
Keywords
- EPA
- grants
- lawsuit
- community projects
- energy insecurity
- public health
- environmental law
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: EPA, Southern Environmental Law Center, U.S. DOE Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs, Landforce, Sustainability Institute
Places: United States
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