U.S. EPA Cancels 21 Grants Amounting to Over $116 Million

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on March 4 canceled 21 more Biden-era grants worth more than $116 million in its third round of grant cancellations. Last week, the agency in partnership with the Department of Government Efficiency, canceled 20 grants totaling more than $60 million. The latest order brings the total value of the canceled funding to more than $287 million.

The cancelation is part of a broader initiative to eliminate funding for programs associated with diversity, equity, inclusion, or DEI, and environmental justice, which the current administration deems as wasteful. In January, President Trump signed executive orders directing federal agencies to identify, review and cancel grants and funding awarded during the former Biden administration.

Since President Trump took office, the administration’s energy agenda has prioritized fossil fuel production over clean, renewable energy. President Trump issued a series of executive actions on Jan. 20 signaling significant changes in the U.S. energy landscape, including declaring a national energy emergency, expanding fossil fuel development, suspending offshore wind initiatives, and withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement.

Last month, EPA announced plans to terminate around $20 billion in funding for environmental justice initiatives. Multiple organizations that were due to receive EPA funding have requested the agency to unfreeze the funding that the programs were legally entitled to.