In a move as straightforward as a foghorn's blare through the misty silence, Attorney General Nick Brown has taken legal action against the Trump administration. Filed on behalf of Washington state, the lawsuit accuses the administration of illegally holding back over $9 million in climate resilience funds, essential for combating the increasing threats of heatwaves, wildfires, drought, and flooding induced by a volatile climate. Brown's argument anchors itself in the fact that these funds, appropriated by Congress, were suddenly ripped away by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), as it terminated awards citing alignment issues with the president's new priorities.
Making waves by jeopardizing both jobs and Washington's strategy for climate resilience, NOAA's funding termination swept away programs aimed at elevating those most vulnerable to the climate crisis, with a brazen disregard for the plans already in place. According to a statement obtained by the official Office of the Attorney General press release, NOAA had granted $9.3 million to develop the Tribal Stewards Program through Washington colleges along with fostering an alliance with tribes and employers. This initiative was expected to educate more than 2,000 students in disciplines directly linked to climate resilience.
Further detailing the blow to Washington's efforts, the Department of Ecology's project, Advancing an Equitable Framework for Coastal Resilience, was another casualty of NOAA's funding freeze. Approximately $114,000 of essential funding was withheld, an amount significant to support local efforts contending with coastal hazards. These cuts have placed Washington’s coastal communities at risk, having dismantled their capacity to address urgent dangers such as flooding and erosion. Originally awarded $250,000, this initiative was designed to mitigate both environmental and health disparities.
Brandishing the claim that these actions from the U.S. Department of Commerce and NOAA were arbitrary and capricious, the lawsuit also alleges that they've overstepped constitutional boundaries. Filed by Assistant Attorneys General Caitlin Soden, Leah Brown, and Ellen Range, and supported by Paralegals Joshua Bennett and Julie Dolloff, the state aims to galvanize the courts into recognizing the agencies' actions as unlawful and, indeed, unconstitutional. As they call for the reversal of the terminated funding, there echoes a sentiment of urgency.
