Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway, along with attorneys general from 23 other states, has filed a legal challenge against the Biden-era Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). According to a press release from the Missouri Attorney General’s Office, the group is questioning the distribution of $20 billion through the EPA’s "Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund," citing concerns about oversight and potential favoritism in the allocation process.
Attorney General Hanaway expressed her determination to challenge what she considers potential misuse of federal funds, supporting the EPA’s decision to rescind certain grants. The legal challenge argues that the EPA lacked the ability to properly oversee or terminate grants, which the attorneys general say is a systemic issue. As a result, they filed an amicus brief supporting the previous administration’s EPA, which had attempted to cancel the grants after new oversight findings but was blocked by a district court.
The claims of mismanagement include an EPA official awarding funding to a former employer and another recipient who had only $100 in assets the previous year before receiving a $2 billion grant. The states argue that awarding funds without proper oversight can affect their jurisdictions by creating projects that may be poorly planned or executed. In their joint legal brief, the states emphasize the need for federal climate spending to be subject to proper oversight and accountability.
The coalition is asking the en banc United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to overturn the district court’s preliminary injunction. This follows a D.C. Circuit panel ruling that sided with the previous administration’s position to vacate the order. The case is part of a broader legal debate over oversight and accountability in federal funding programs, including those related to climate change.
Missouri is joined in the legal effort by attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. West Virginia led the filing of the amicus brief.
