By Abbas Nazil
The Trump administration has canceled or frozen more than $29 billion in environmental and renewable energy grants awarded under President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, according to an analysis released by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
The NRDC unveiled an interactive map titled Stolen Futures, highlighting the scope of rescinded or stalled funding across 910 grants and sub-grants in 12 community-based programs.
Many of these programs, including the $14 billion National Clean Investment Fund, $7 billion Solar for All Program, $6 billion Clean Communities Accelerator, and $3 billion Climate Justice Block Grant Program, were targeted by Trump, who called them wasteful spending.
Of $37 billion initially allocated under Biden’s “Justice40” pledge—which aimed to channel 40 percent of federal climate investment to disadvantaged communities—only $159 million has been awarded.
About $9 billion has been canceled outright, while another $20 billion remains frozen pending legal challenges.
An EPA spokesman defended the cancellations, calling them a necessary end to what Trump officials described as a “green gravy train” for left-leaning activist groups.
The spokesman cited congressional repeal of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and recent court dismissals of lawsuits seeking to reinstate the grants.
However, environmental justice advocates argue that the move devastates vulnerable communities that had secured unprecedented federal support.
Cheryl Johnson, leader of Chicago’s People for Community Recovery, said her group lost nearly all of a $2.8 million award meant to support local revitalization projects after only $32,000 was disbursed.
Critics like former EPA official Charles Lee contend the cancellations reflect a fundamental misunderstanding of environmental justice, which seeks to protect all communities from disproportionate environmental and public health harms.
Despite the cuts, some programs such as the \$5 billion Climate Pollution Reduction Grants and \$3 billion Clean Ports Program remain active, though they are restricted to government entities and not community-based groups.
Environmental groups and local governments have vowed to appeal dismissals of their lawsuits, keeping alive hopes of restoring funding.
