US court rules cancellation of environmental and climate justice grants unlawful

Federal judge Richard Gergel in South Carolina ruled that the EPA's cancellation of the $2.8 billion environmental and climate justice grant program established under Biden was unlawful. However, the court did not issue a permanent injunction requiring the program to be reinstated.

Scraper SystemJune 17, 2026, 07:36 PM

US court rules cancellation of environmental and climate justice grants unlawful

A federal judge in the US ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency's decision to end environmental and climate justice grants was unlawful. The ruling marks a significant turning point for the $2.8 billion program launched under Biden, which targeted environmental and public health issues in disadvantaged communities.

US District Judge Richard Gergel, sitting in South Carolina, invalidated the action to eliminate the Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grant Program. The court found the administrative step leading to the program's cancellation unlawful.

Court did not order reinstatement

The ruling emphasized that the funds would support projects long combating local pollution sources and climate risks. The program provided resources to community groups working with local governments to address issues such as air pollution, rising energy bills, infrastructure degradation, and extreme heat.

However, the judge did not issue a permanent injunction requiring the agency to resume the program. Gergel noted that such an order could require rehiring staff to oversee the grants, which might not be practical.

The court also rejected a request to extend the September deadline for distributing the grants. Thus, while the ruling acknowledged the unlawfulness of the program's cancellation, it did not pave the way for automatic resumption of funds.

Lawsuit and scope of the program

The lawsuit was filed by the Southern Environmental Law Center and the Public Rights Project. Kym Meyer, the organization's litigation director, said they are reviewing the decision and want to discuss next steps with the agency. Meyer stated that the program should resume as soon as possible.

The program was created under the Inflation Reduction Act and was described as part of the Biden administration's efforts to reduce structural inequalities nationwide. According to budget documents, the grants targeted local priorities such as reducing pollution, strengthening public health, and increasing climate preparedness.

One of the grant recipients, CleanAIRE NC, received $500,000 to install air sensors in four communities in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. The organization reported that these areas experience much higher pollution exposure compared to wealthier neighborhoods, leading to significant disparities in health outcomes.

CleanAIRE NC officials said the communities are closer to major highways, heavy industrial activity, polluting factories, and coal plants. The data collected would be used to teach communities how to advocate for cleaner air.

Upon taking office, Trump signed executive orders to halt the distribution of funds allocated under the Inflation Reduction Act and to end environmental justice offices and positions to the fullest extent possible. The court thus also found the process leading to the cancellation of environmental justice grants unlawful.

An EPA spokesperson said the agency is reviewing the decision. The CleanAIRE NC side stated that families in North Mecklenburg have had to wait for basic transparency about the air they breathe for years, and that the court confirmed the community was unfairly deprived of critical air monitoring resources.

US court rules cancellation of environmental and climate justice grants unlawful