SPRINGFIELD — A $20 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency is likely not coming to Springfield after a District Court judge recently dismissed a challenge put forth by a coalition against the Trump administration.
In late June, a group of tribes, nonprofits and local governments sued the administration for what they said was an unlawful termination of the EPA’s Environmental and Climate Justice Grant programs “despite a congressional directive to fund them.”
Earthjustice, Southern Environmental Law Center, the Public Rights Project and Lawyers for Good Government filed the challenge on behalf of ECJ grant recipients to seek the restoration of the nationwide program and to require the reinstatement of awarded grant agreements, according to a press release from Earthjustice.
The 23 plaintiffs involved in the lawsuit sought to restore the $3 billion that was promised to “community-driven” projects across the country, including $20 million to Springfield for various initiatives combatting climate change.
That money is now in jeopardy after Judge Richard Leon in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia decided to dismiss the challenge on Aug. 29, ruling that the claims must be heard by the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.
“We are disappointed in the court’s ruling, but we will continue to fight for communities across the country that relied on this EPA program to reduce pollution, increase climate resilience and build capacity to tackle environmental harms,” said Earthjustice senior attorney Hana Vizcarra, in a statement. “The legal team is considering next steps.”
In a statement to Reminder Publishing, Springfield City Solicitor Stephen Buoniconti called the judge’s decision “disappointing.”
“The court ruled that the grant was in essence a contract and that the Trump administration has the executive authority to rescind the funding,” Buoniconti said. “The court decision is a major loss for the residents of the city and the region.”
The $20 million was supposed to fund a community solar project, complete home rehabilitation projects, plant 1,500 trees throughout the city and retrofit 30 one-to-four-unit homes to improve indoor air quality.
Additionally, the money would support a workforce development program for HVAC-R technicians and convert two city-owned buildings to non-grid clean energy sources while expanding their use as community resilience hubs and emergency shelter locations.
That money and other grants were part of the Environmental and Climate Justice Program, which was created by former President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act under Clean Air Act Section 138. The grants were eliminated across the country in early 2025 as part of Trump’s efforts to down size the role of the federal government in energy and environmental spaces.
In his statement, Buoniconti said that Springfield was the only city in the state to receive the grant, the bulk of which was going to reduce asthma and lead exposure. In 2019, Springfield was dubbed the “asthma capital of the country,” according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, and was named the fourth most challenging place to live with asthma as of 2024.
Buoniconti shared that the city is now exploring an appeal of the court’s decision.
