A federal judge in Washington, D.C. has temporarily barred the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from clawing back billions of dollars given out under the Biden administration to help finance climate friendly projects.
The Trump administration sought to end the grants, which are part of a $20 billion climate program, claiming “waste, fraud and abuse.”
But Judge Tanya Chutkan, an Obama appointee, found that the agency was unable to provide evidence of wrongdoing.
Specifically, she said officials offered “no specific information about such investigations, factual support for the decision, or an individualized explanation for each Plaintiff.”
“This is insufficient.”
Chutkan ordered that the EPA’s decision to terminate the grants cannot take effect and that the agency and Citibank, which is holding the funds, can’t transfer them elsewhere.
Zach Schonfeld contributed.
