Sacramento has joined a class action lawsuit after the federal government ended funding for the Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental and Climate Justice Grant program. City officials are seeking to restore the grants that were previously allocated, according to the City of Sacramento.
Sacramento’s plan to increase its urban tree canopy from 19 percent to 35 percent by 2045 is uncertain after the loss of federal funding. Legal groups, including Earthjustice and Lawyers for Good Government, are challenging cuts to 350 grant recipients from the $3 billion environmental justice program. City Attorney Susana Alcala Wood said, “The Environmental Protection Agency’s unilateral termination of the City of Sacramento’s grant is inexplicable,” adding, “The City joined this litigation to ensure the Trump Administration honors its commitments because every day that goes by without access to the grant is one less day of tree growth and tree canopy – the impacts of which will be felt for generations to come,” as reported by the City of Sacramento.
Grants created under the Inflation Reduction Act’s Section 138 of the Clean Air Act were intended for projects such as replacing lead pipes and providing clean energy job training. Legal analysts say the administration’s reversal goes against Congress’s intent and affects community efforts to address public health and climate issues. Sacramento has announced it will continue to support environmental justice and work with other grant recipients to maintain these community projects, as stated by the City of Sacramento.
