Trump administration claws back $20bn in climate funds – World

The Trump administration has eliminated $ 20 billion in financing for greenhouse gas reduction projects, in which climate supporters and Democrats say the money allocated for the backward classes for clean energy and transportation has been illegally captured.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s Administrator Le Zlandon had publicized his campaign to withdraw money from the Green House Gas Reaction Fund, which the Congress had allocated to start projects to start pollution under the Biden administration.

A Description Late on Tuesday, the EPA said it had withdrawn the funds from the toes, saying that the program was not in accordance with the agency’s priorities, which cited potential fraud, waste and abuse concerns, though it did not provide any details or evidence about the allegations.

The move is the latest development in an attempt to withdraw the EPA funds, which the Biden administration distributed to eight organizations last year, selected from the City Bank’s account to manage a grant from a greenhouse gas reduction fund, which is a financial agency agreement with the treasury.

Zodidon has received the Department of Justice and FBI to review the program.

The use of FBI to investigate the fund has raised concerns with democratic lawmakers who say agencies have no basis for investigating a city bank or grant recipients.

In a letter to Attorney General Palm Bondi and FBI Director Kashi Patel, Democratic Senator Sheldon White House said, “The funding process followed a centuries -old framework that was announced in a transparent April 202 in an agreement between the City Bank and the Finance Department.”

The White House, which is the leading Democrat in the Senate Environment Committee and the Senate sub -committee, said that officials have “no real basis to interfere with these properly allocated and binding funds”.

The EPA said it would work to use funds “with better control” within the law, but did not specifically say what it would do with the money.

“The EPA will be an extraordinary responsibility of taxpayers’ dollar who is dedicated to our basic mission of human health and environment protection,” not a serious spending in the name of climate equity, “Zodland said.

The Congress allocated $ 20 billion through the Democratic President Joe Biden’s 2022 inflation act. Under his successor, Republican Donald Trump, the EPA has tried to freeze the climate change and environmental justice funds during legal challenges.

At the end of the week, the United States Fund Advocacy Group filed a lawsuit against the EPA and the City Group City Bank to withhold and break the funds, which is said to have a legally binding contract, saying that seven other recipients are unable to access the amount.

The US District Court DC will hear the case on Wednesday.

Environmental justice