Hill climate hawks urge EPA to release grant money

Lawmakers who are a part of Congress’ largest renewable energy and environment-focused coalition are urging the Trump administration to release $20 billion in Biden-era climate grants that EPA is working to claw back.

Leaders of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition fired off a letter Wednesday to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin urging him to stop withholding the funds, calling his efforts a “political witch hunt without any justification or evidence of wrongdoing.” The letter was signed by 82 members of the coalition, all Democrats.

The letter comes one day after U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan temporarily blocked EPA’s attempt to recoup $20 billion from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF). The program was created by Democrats’ 2022 climate law and has been targeted by Zeldin and President Donald Trump as part of a broader push to eliminate waste and fraud across agencies.

The money was deposited at Citibank and has already been obligated to several climate-focused groups, but Zeldin has directed Citibank not to release the funds, and the groups have not been able to access them. Chutkan said Tuesday that EPA “gave no legal justification for the termination” of the grant contracts.

“Blocking the payment of GGRF funds is an attempt to rob the American people of those billions of dollars in essential investments,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter.

They added, “We are stunned by this unprecedented campaign of intimidation.”

The signees include SEEC co-chairs and vice chairs and dozens of other members, including Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), an original author of the GGRF proposal.

They highlighted several energy, housing and transportation projects that would not be able to move forward without access to the funds. They stressed that recipients are now at risk of going bankrupt or having to lay off workers.

“In the absence of a clear explanation to awardees for why these funds continue to be frozen,” they wrote, “we urge EPA to direct Citibank to release these funds without further delay so that these federal dollars, as intended by law, can help American families and businesses begin to lower their energy bills, spur local economic development, and work towards healthier, safer communities across the country.”

An EPA spokesperson said the agency "will review the letter and will respond through appropriate channels."