#ClimateCrisis #Trump #Spokane #Gonzaga
"Spokane’s most vulnerable residents will no longer have assistance in preparing for the devastating effects of climate change, if the Trump administration follows through on its intent to rescind nearly $20 million in federal funding.
Citing a change in 'administration priorities,' the Environmental Protection Agency notified Gonzaga University on May 2 of the impending cancellation of a $19.9 million grant devoted to climate resiliency in Spokane’s disadvantaged, low-income communities, according to a joint news release from the city of Spokane and the private Jesuit school decrying the move.
The Gonzaga Institute for Climate, Water, and the Environment was awarded the Community Change Grant last July as one of 21 climate change-related projects funded by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. It was the university’s single largest grant award in Gonzaga’s nearly 140-year history, and school and city officials say it would have contributed greatly to the region’s adjustment to the ongoing climate crisis.
Hundreds of low-income homes were to be retrofitted with heat pumps and high-quality air filtration systems, five community centers and libraries were going to be bolstered to serve as extreme weather shelters, and several prospective workers were to be trained for jobs in clean energy – all as a result of the funding.
'It always feels hyperbolic to say people’s lives are at stake,' said institute director Brian G. Henning,
'But it’s literally true right now.'
Fearing significant consequences to Spokane residents if the EPA follows through, leaders for the city and Gonzaga University are now calling on the agency to change course. They argue the Trump administration’s move lacks legal standing and jeopardizes the public health and safety of the region."
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2025/may/16/gonzaga-spokane-leaders-say-cancellation-of-federa/
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