Court: Trump Admin. Must Restore New Haven's Frozen $31M In Grants

From the Office of New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker:

NEW HAVEN, CT — Tuesday, a federal court ordered the Trump administration to reinstate federal funding for critical municipal and community programs across the country, including three federal grants totaling $31 million awarded to New Haven by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for local climate, environmental, and clean energy-related projects and initiatives.

In March, New Haven joined a coalition of six cities and thirteen nonprofit organizations in filing a federal lawsuit against the Trump Administration — The Sustainability Institute et al. v Trump et al. — which challenged the unlawful funding freeze that paused critical programs aimed at supporting residents and addressing various environmental, climate, public health, and agricultural challenges.

New Haven and 6 other states, 13 non-profits, filed a lawsuit against Trump Administration challenging the unlawful funding freeze that paused critical programs aimed at supporting residents, addressing various environmental, climate, public health, and agricultural challenges.

The permanent injunction, filed on Tuesday by United States District Judge Richard Mark Gergel for the District of South Carolina, Charleston Division, will restore most of the grants included in this lawsuit, and the ruling represents the one of the first final judgments in a case challenging the Trump Administration's actions.

“As a coastal city, New Haven is committed to tackling the challenge of climate change head on and building a greener, healthier and more resilient city for our residents. The $31 million in U.S. EPA grants that the City of New Haven has been awarded and obligated by the federal government are critical to advancing these efforts. Now with the U.S. District Court’s decision, we expect the Trump administration to respect and adhere to the judge’s ruling and provide unobstructed access to these funds so that we can move forward with these important local projects and initiatives,” said Mayor Justin Elicker. “Contrary to President Trump’s executive orders and actions, the way we ‘Unleash American Energy’ is by leveraging our country’s own renewable resources, including solar, wind and geothermal. It’s better for our pocketbooks, our environment and our national security, and we are encouraged that this ruling will allow New Haven and other cities and nonprofits across the nation to do exactly that.”

New Haven’s three federal grants impacted by this ruling include:

• $20 million from the EPA’s Community Change Grants Program for the Elm City Climate Collaborative, which includes 20 local partner organizations working to advance initiatives that benefit thousands of New Haven residents through investments in more energy efficient and cost-efficient homes, more accessible and greener transportation, and more resilient and safer neighborhoods, while also helping to create good-paying green jobs and educating Elm City children to engage in environmentally sustainable practices.

• $9.5 million from the EPA's Climate Pollution Reduction Grants Implementation Grants for the Union Station Area Thermal Energy Network project, which is helping to finance a $16.5 million project to decarbonize Union Station and transition the region’s busiest transportation hub completely off fossil fuels while also creating a networked geothermal system to provide affordable energy bills for residents in the forthcoming Union Square housing development on Church Street South across from the train station.

• $1 million from the EPA’s Environmental Justice Government-to-Government Program for Electrify New Haven, which is helping New Haven residents transition their homes from oil heat to efficient heat pumps, reducing both heating costs and air pollution.

Steve Winter, Director of New Haven’s Office of Climate and Sustainability, stated, “I’m thrilled that the court has blocked the Trump administration’s illegal and unjustified freeze of funding for important climate change and clean energy projects in New Haven. The work that our team does every day in partnership with City agencies and community partners helps improve air quality, lower energy bills, and address our climate crisis. The $31 million in federal funds unlocked by the court will advance a range of projects that will help New Havener’s breathe easier, save money on energy bills and transportation, and enjoy a greener and more resilient city.”

The City of New Haven was represented by the Public Rights Project (PRP) who joined with the Southern Environmental Law Center’s (SELC) in collectively representing the 19 plaintiffs in the lawsuit. PRP is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that provides legal representation to governments to help them win in court on behalf of their residents.

In the case, the Trump administration conceded that canceling grant funding through executive orders violated the Administrative Procedure Act.

Jill Habig, Public Rights Project's Founder and CEO, said, “This ruling echoes what cities and local governments have said all along: the unlawful termination of congressionally approved funds caused real harm to communities. We are proud to represent them every step of the way to ensure they can restore vital programs and continue building a stronger, more equitable future for all.”

"This is a huge victory for these organizations who can now get back to work improving their communities. While defendants have announced their intent to appeal this ruling, SELC is committed to continuing this fight all the way to the Supreme Court until all the grants represented in our case are restored once and for all,” stated SELC Litigation Director Kym Meyer.

In addition to New Haven, the other cities involved in the lawsuit include Baltimore, Maryland; Columbus, Ohio; Madison, Wisconsin; Nashville, Tennessee; and San Diego, California.

Monday’s ruling also addressed six grants under USDA’s Climate Smart Agriculture program, terminated by the administration. The court will examine more evidence on these terminations, including allowing plaintiffs to take testimony from the administration.